


Whumptober 2018

by paperback92



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Betrayal, Blood, Bruises, College Student Peter Parker, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Electrocution, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fever, Gen, Graphic Description, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Identity Reveal, Insomnia, Kidnapping, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Panic Attacks, Parent Tony Stark, Poisoning, School Shootings, Stabbing, Stranded, Torture, Vomiting, Whump, Whumptober 2018, not that that's any better, obvi, with alien guns tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-07-25 04:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 22,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16189775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperback92/pseuds/paperback92
Summary: What is says on the tin: 31 Days of whump.





	1. Stabbed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1: Stabbed 
> 
> "Peter, it appears that you’ve been stabbed. Karen intoned helpfully in his ear. I suggest that you receive medical attention. Do not pull out the object."
> 
> Too bad Karen didn’t say that last part thirty seconds earlier and before Peter sucked in a huge breath and yanked out the knife like he was King Arthur freeing Excalibur.

The distinct feeling of a cold foreign object sliding into the meat of his thigh shocked Peter more than actually hurt. 

He had never been stabbed but he had always imagined that it would hurt way more. It was more indignation then pain that coursed through him. 

How dare this guy stab him? In the carjacker’s defense, he looked just as shocked that he’d stabbed Spider-Man as Peter felt. He took an unsteady step backwards as Peter stared at the knife sticking out of him.

“Dude?” Peter didn’t like how high and breathy his voice sounded. “Really?”

The criminal shrugged, clueless himself, and Peter almost laughed. 

Then the pain hit and nothing was funny anymore. 

With a hiss, Peter’s knees gave out and he hit the concrete. He cursed as blood sluggishly dripped down his leg and splattered on the pavement.  
Through watery eyes, he watched the criminal run off. 

_Peter, it appears that you’ve been stabbed._ Karen intoned helpfully in his ear. _I suggest that you receive medical attention. Do not pull out the object._

Too bad Karen didn’t say that last part thirty seconds earlier and before Peter sucked in a huge breath and yanked out the knife like he was King Arthur freeing Excalibur. 

“Oh,” He said dumbly as the slow bleed turned into a gushing red river. He webbed the wound closed, sighing in relief when it successfully slowed the bleeding some. 

_That is why you shouldn’t have pulled the knife out, Peter._ Karen scolded. 

“Sorry.” 

_Calling Tony Stark._

“Karen, no! That’s not necessary” Peter shouted but was ignored. The call went through and Tony’s voice flooded around him in the mask. 

“Good afternoon, Spider-Man.” Tony said in that fake causal tone that always meant that Peter was in trouble. “Why is Karen telling me you were stabbed?”

“Uh, because I was?”

“And she tells me that your bleeding out because she didn’t listen to her?”

Peter fell backwards onto his butt and looked at the webbing that was already stained red. “Yeah, kind of?”

Tony cursed. “You’re lucky I was in the City today. I’m five minutes out. Think you can stay out of trouble till then?” 

“I’ll try.” Peter said but the dial tone told him that Tony had already hung up. 

Peter sighed and tipped his head back against the brick wall. He was suddenly exhausted. The urge to fall asleep warred against the thumping pain that traveled up and down his entire leg. Besides, there was nothing to do until Tony got there. Then he’d tell May and then Peter would get grounded for the rest of his life. 

And it may have been the blood loss talking, but the longer he sat there, the better a nap sounded. Karen started talking again but Peter didn’t catch it before he fell into darkness. It seemed like he’d just closed his eyes when something shook him awake.

“Peter? Pete, wake up buddy.”

Peter groaned in protest. He tried to turn away from whoever bothering him but their grip was only tightened. May had just told him yesterday that he didn’t get enough sleep so why, after he finally fell asleep was someone trying to wake up him?

“Come on, Pete. May will kill me if I let you bleed out in some dirty alleyway.” 

Peter frowned. That sounded like Tony. With great effort, Peter opened his eyes to find the older man in the Iron Man suit crouched in front of him. One hand was cemented on Peter’s shoulder and the other ghosted over his thigh. 

“Mr. Stark?”

The other man’s posture relaxed slightly. “Oh, good. He lives.” 

Before Peter could blink, Tony shifted and gathered him into his arms. Peter couldn’t help the cry of pain that escaped him when his thigh was jostled and white hot pain flashed through him.

Tony’s expression softened at the sound. “I know, Spider-Baby. I’m sorry.” He said. “We’ll get you fixed up at the compound. Ready to fly?”

Normally, Peter loved flying with Tony but the zipping through the air all the way up state with a bum leg that hurt if the air shifted around it wrong, churned his stomach. His apprehension must have shown on his face because Tony was quick to reassure him.

“I’ve got ya, Pete. We’ll go easy.” 

He did and Peter was stitched up and settled down across the couch at the compound before he knew it. He ate the bowl of ice cream that had been pushed into his hands silently as Tony wrapped another blanket around him. 

Tony stepped back from the couch to admire his burrito creation with a satisfied look. 

“So, what have we learned today?”

“Don’t get stabbed?” Peter answered around a mouthful of Stark Raving Hazelnuts.

“And?” 

“Don’t pull out the offending object?”

Tony shook his head in what Peter hoped was exasperated fondness. “Listen to Karen, kid. She knows things.” He sat heavily beside Peter, careful not to jostle him. 

“Oh, by the way,” Tony said, stealing the spoon of ice cream that was traveling towards Peter’s mouth. “I called May. She says you’re grounded for a week.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who’s rolling up to Whumptober late and without Starbucks. Also who may miss a solid week of it because she’ll be a boat in the middle of the ocean with limited internet. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> But I’ve never done anything like this before and wanted to try it.
> 
> Prompts are welcome and hope y'all enjoy :)
> 
> Find me on [ tumblr ](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/awwcoffee92)


	2. Bloody Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2- Bloody Hands 
> 
> “It’s alright, Pete.” Tony told him softly. “We can’t save everyone. This sort of thing happens sometimes.”
> 
> Peter shook his head. “But I saved his guy.” His eyes snapped to Tony’s again. “How was I able to help him but not Ben?”

“Boss,” FRIDAY interrupted the thumping music that blasted in the garage while Tony was elbow deep in an engine. “May Parker is calling.” 

Tony glanced at the clock on the wall. It was just after midnight. A solid hour after Peter’s curfew. That meant nothing good.

“Patch her through, FRI.” He said, wiping the grease off his hands with a hand towel. “Hello, Ms. Parker. How can I help you this fine evening?”

“Tony.” The overwhelming panic in her voice sent Tony on edge immediately. “Somethings wrong with Peter. He’s-he won’t say anything. He’s covered in blood.”

“Wait, what?” Tony assembled his suit faster then he’d ever before. It had to be a record. “Blood? Whose blood? His?”

“I don’t know. He won’t talk.” May sounded close to tears. He’d never heard her sound so frazzled. “Tony, I don’t-“

“It’s alright.” Tony assured her. “I’m on the way. You guys are at the apartment?”

“Yes. Tony I’m sorry to drag you out here. But I’ve never seen him like this since,”

“It’s not a problem, May.” Tony said after he waited for her to finish her thought but she didn’t. “I was at the tower anyways. I’m almost there.” 

“Okay,” May said. “Okay, thank you.” 

She hung up just as he landed outside of the Parker’s apartment building. The suit traveled back up into the housing unit and he took the stairs two at time until he reached their floor. One day he swore that he’d fix that stupid elevator. 

He’d barley finished knocking when May threw the apartment door opened and waved him inside. She chewed on a thumbnail as she led him through the kitchen. 

“I don’t know what to do, Tony. He won’t talk to me. He always talks to me.” She said, finally stopping at the edge of the living room. 

Tony stepped out from around her to get a better look at Peter. The kid sat on the couch blinking absently at nothing. He was still in his Spider-Man suit, sans mask, his curls ruffled and sticking up. 

Tony gulped. May wasn’t kidding about the blood. The kid looked positively gory. There was bloody streaks on his arms and on his neck. Clumps of blood was dried in his hair. 

But the worst was his hands. The gloves were soaked through. There were bloody hand prints on the window and wall where Peter must have crawled into the apartment. 

Tony approached Peter carefully and kneeled down in front of him. “Pete?”

Peter blinked and his eyes shifted from whatever he was staring at to Tony’s face. “Mr. Stark?” He croaked.

“Hey, kid.” Tony tried to summon a reassuring smile. “What’s going on?”

Peter stared back off into the distance. “I couldn’t save him.” He muttered and Tony’s heart sank. 

He knew that this would happen one day. It was just part of the job. They couldn’t save everyone. He had just foolishly hoped that it wouldn’t happen to Peter though.

“It’s alright, Pete.” Tony told him softly. “We can’t save everyone. This sort of thing happens sometimes.”

Peter shook his head. “But I saved his guy.” His eyes snapped to Tony’s again. “How was I able to help him but not Ben?” 

Tony was taken back and judging by the sharp gasp from the kitchen, so was May. Tony had never heard Peter talk about his Uncle before. He knew the vague details of what happened the night Ben Parker from the police report that he’d dug up, but that was all.

“What do you mean, bud?” Tony asked gently. “What happened tonight?” 

“There was this guy getting mugged. I stopped it but the guy still got shot.” Peter looked down at his blood covered hands like he was just seeing them for the first time. “I put pressure on it like on TV and Karen called an ambulance. The paramedics said he’d be okay.” 

Tony exchanged a look with May, who looked just as confused as she did. 

“That’s great, buddy. You saved the day.”

Peter laughed mirthlessly. It sent a chill down Tony’s spine. He never wanted to hear such a cold sound come from Peter again. 

“I could save that random guy but I let my uncle die?” Peter met Tony’s eyes again and pinned him with an expression so intense that Tony wished that he could look away from it. 

“Ben was supposed to be at home, Mr. Stark. He was only by that alley because he was looking for me. Then he got shot and bled out before I could even call anyone. I can save all these other people but I couldn’t even save Ben.”

Peter’s voice cracked on his uncle’s name and bottom lip trembled dangerously. Tony’s heart was breaking. He’d seen Peter at low points but never this low. 

He searched for something meaningfully to say but before he could open his mouth, May strode over and lowered herself next to Tony.

“Peter Benjamin Parker, you look at me.” She instructed. It took a moment but Peter looked up, chin jutted out like he was prepared to stand out in a firing line for his imagined sins. 

“What happened to Ben was not your fault.” Peter started to argue but she spoke over him. “It wasn’t. No one thinks that it was, especially not me. The blame is on the man that shot him. That’s all.” 

She smiled at her nephew and cupped the side of his face, wiping away the free falling tears. 

“You are so good. You saved a man tonight, Peter. I’m so proud of you, Peter. So is Tony and I know Ben is too.”

Tony watched as Peter’s face slowly crumpled and the kid broke down. May pulled him towards her and held him as he sobbed into her neck. When May silently started crying with him, Tony backed away from the intimate moment.

He decided to make himself useful. He took his time finding the kid some clean clothes, then a rag, and a bowl of warm water. 

By the time Tony carried his haul back into the living room, everyone’s tears had dried. Peter looked up at Tony sheepishly. 

“Sorry, Mr. Stark.” He said quietly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” 

“Don’t worry about it, Pete.” Tony handed him the clothes. “That is your one scare of the year, though, so you’re forbidden from doing that again until next year. Or ever, if you can help it. Now go get cleaned up.”

Peter chuckled softly. “Sure, Mr. Stark.” 

As soon as he heard the shower running, Tony started cleaning. He scrubbed at the walls. The bloody hand prints came off fairly easily. He hoped that he wouldn’t accidentally take the paint off. Oh well. If he did then he’d just pay for a new paint job.

“You don’t have to do that, Tony.” May said tiredly from where she still sat on the floor. 

“It’s already done.” He said as the last of the blood was wiped off of the wall. It looked much better. As if the last half an hour hadn’t even happened. 

Peter padded back into the room just as Tony poured the dirty water down the kitchen sink and washed his hands. He sat down on the couch, which thankfully had been spared of any blood, and May heaved herself up next to him. Peter instantly melted into her side. Tony watched as Peter’s eyes grew heavier and heavier then finally close. 

“Alright, May. I’m out of here.” He said quietly and May gave him a grateful smile. 

“Thank you so much, Tony.” She whispered.

Tony shrugged. “You did all the heavy lifting, Ms. Parker.” He was almost to the door when Peter’s tired voice stopped him. The kid lifted his head and blinked blearily at Tony.

“Mr. Stark, you’re not going to stay?” 

Tony hesitated but at May’s encouraging nod, smiled. “I guess I could stay for a little bit.” 

He sat on the other side of Peter and was rewarded with a pair of feet thrown in his lap. He met May’s laughing eyes across the couch and rolled his eyes good naturedly. 

“Teenagers.” Tony grumbled but rubbed Peter’s ankle the way he knew the kid liked until he fell asleep.


	3. Insomnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3- Insomnia 
> 
> “What are you doing?” Peter managed to ask as Tony fussed over him until he was laying down. Then he grabbed a nearby remote and started scrolling through Netflix.
> 
> “I’m finding the most boring show ever made then you’re taking a nap. What’s May doing this weekend? You know what? Doesn’t matter. Call her and tell her you’re spending the weekend. You’re sleeping for the next two days straight.”
> 
> “It won’t work, Mr. Stark.” Peter protested but still buried himself down in the blanket that Tony threw on top of him. “I’ve tried everything.”
> 
> “Hush.”

Peter had walked into the kitchen for something. At least, he thought he had. He didn’t think he just usually hung out in the kitchen. 

Their refrigerator was missing. Well, not really missing but moved. It used to be by the stove. Now it was closer to the door.

It looked different too. It used to have several more dents and magnets holding up Polaroid of him and May. Now it was a sleek, untouched, stainless steel.

Peter blinked at it but it offered up no answers for its transformation. It dawned on him that there was a possibility that he was in the wrong house.

Suddenly a hand waved in front of his face, breaking his concentration from the kitchen mystery.

“Hello? Earth to Peter? You in there, buddy?”

Peter blinked again but this his eyes were a bit slow on the reopening part. They felt gritty when he was finally able to drag them back open. His vision blurred for a second then cleared enough for him to see Tony standing in front of him, hands planted on his hips.

“Oh, hey Mr. Stark.”

“Hey yourself.” Tony raised a brow at him. “You feeling okay, kid?”

“Yeah.” Peter answered then went back to trying to remember where the peanut butter was at. 

Tony’s brow reached his hairline. “Well, I don’t believe you, because I’ve watched you stare at the fridge for the past twenty minutes when you’re supposed to be helping me down in the lab.” 

That’s right, Peter remembered now. He was at the tower for his lab day with Tony. He’d come upstairs for a snack.

“Where’s the peanut butter?” 

Tony narrowed his eyes but reached around him anyways and pulled a jar of honey roasted peanut butter from the cabinet above them. Peter thanked him and took the spoon that was handed him. He ate it straight out of the jar. 

“That’s disgusting.” Tony said but didn’t stop him. He let Peter get a few more bites in before speaking again. “When was the last time you slept?”

“Why?” Peter asked instead because he truthfully wasn’t sure. It had been recent or recent-ish he was pretty sure. 

“Because you look like you’re auditioning as a panda with those circles under your eyes and you’re acting like a zombie in my kitchen. So, again I ask, when did you sleep last?”

Peter didn’t have the mental energy to argue. “What day is it?”

“Friday.” 

Peter concentrated. In truth, hadn’t slept through the night since Ben died. But Peter knew Tony was asking about this most recent bout of insomnia. 

“Um,” Peter hummed around a spoonful of peanut butter. “Monday?”

Tony sputtered. “You haven’t slept since Monday?” 

Peter shrugged. “Yeah.”

Tony stared at him long enough that Peter started to worry if he broke him. Then he blinked rapidly and bodily dragged Peter and his jar of peanut butter into the living room. He practically pushed Peter down onto the couch.

“What are you doing?” Peter managed to ask as Tony fussed over him until he was laying down. Then he grabbed a nearby remote and started scrolling through Netflix.

“I’m finding the most boring show ever made then you’re taking a nap. What’s May doing this weekend? You know what? Doesn’t matter. Call her and tell her you’re spending the weekend. You’re sleeping for the next two days straight.” 

“It won’t work, Mr. Stark.” Peter protested but still buried himself down in the blanket that Tony threw on top of him. “I’ve tried everything.” 

“Hush.” Tony scolded as ‘How it’s Made’ started playing. “FRIDAY, put in Spidey’s after patrol order at Geno’s.” 

“That’s too much food, Mr. Stark.”

“I thought I told you to hush.” Tony said as he lowered the lights and settled on the couch by Peter’s head. “You’re going to eat until your stuffed, then watch boring TV. It’s a tried and true sleeping aid.”

Peter sighed but found himself too tired to fight. It was worth a try. He’d probably try anything at this point.

He dropped his snack on the floor and snuggled into the blanket more, pulling it up under his chin. He shifted his head until he found Tony’s thigh and used it as a pillow. If Tony was going to make him try and sleep then he had to deal with the cuddling consequences. Something told him that Tony didn’t mind too much though when he started threading his hands through Peter’s hair.

The first episode was only half way through when Peter’s eyes drooped. The exhaustion that had been weighing him down for the past week finally settled into something warm and pleasant. It pulled him deeper and deeper until Peter finally found himself on the edge of sleep.

“Jokes on you, Mr. Stark.” Peter muttered, eyes closed and practically asleep. “I love this show.” 

“I know you do, kid.” He heard Tony say as he drifted away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sweating* I've never written so much in my whole dang life. 
> 
> Prompts for the rest of the month are welcome :)


	4. "No, stop!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4- "No, stop!" 
> 
> Peter groaned and he leaned over the counter top, resting his forehead on the cool tile. His head felt like it would split open and his stomach rolled. He regretted eating all those crab cakes.
> 
> Distantly, Peter heard the bathroom door open. He hoped that it was Tony coming to check on him.
> 
> The sharp pain that shot down his spine told him that it wasn’t Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Attempted rage

If you would have told Peter Parker that one day he’d be attending the Maria Stark foundation dinner as Tony Stark’s plus one, he would have laughed hysterically. Then he would have then told Ned , then laughed some more. 

But there he was in some five star hotel’s ballroom in a tailored suit that scratched against his neck, being introduced as Tony’s personal intern and, apparently, an up and coming scientific genius. Tony’s description, not Peter’s.

All in all the event wasn’t bad, just not Peter’s scene. But the other guests were nice enough to him and the food was good. Plus, it was always nice to hang out with Tony. 

Though, they had only had like maybe ten minutes of together before Pepper had dragged Tony away to schmooze with donors. Peter had assured Tony that he would be alright on his own and in turn, he introduced Peter to some Ivory League influencers before he left. 

Between Spider-Man and just trying to survive high school, college was about the furthest thing from Peter’s mind, but he kept up appearances, was even given a few business cards. Peter hoped he at least made a good impression for Tony’s sake. 

Things were going smoothly until his Spidey senses suddenly hummed at the base of his spine. Peter watched the hairs on his arm, that were mid reach for another mini crab cake, stand straight up. He felt someone’s eyes on him. 

Peter deliberately put the food on his plate and carefully turned around. He needed to identify the threat, if there was one, and decide if it was something worth interrupting Tony’s night for. 

He scanned the room, his senses a low buzz, until he spotted with a middle aged man standing with a group of people across the room. His Spidey scenes went ballistic when they met eyes, the low hum exploding into a full blown head ache. Goose bumps spread out over his flesh.

Peter winced and put down the plate that was in his hands. He needed to get Tony. He didn’t know what was up with this guy, but if his senses were going this crazy it meant that he was trouble.

Peter turned and suddenly the man was right in front of him. Peter flinched backwards in surprise, bumping into the table behind him and drawing a few eyes in their direction. 

_Danger Danger Danger_ pulsed through his head. 

He had to get out of there.

“Excuse me.” Peter said, attempting to side step around the man but the stranger acted like he didn’t hear him.

“You’re Peter Parker, right? Tony Stark’s intern?” The man asked, eyes traveling the length of Peter’s body. Peter nearly shuddered under his gaze. “What’s it like working for the great Tony Stark? Ole Iron Man himself?”

“It’s a privilege.” Peter answered curtly, still trying to get out away. “Excuse me, I have to find Mr. Stark.”

“Sure.” The man finally shifted only enough for Peter to slip by but not without having to brush shoulders. 

The touch made Peter shudder and only strengthened his resolve to alert Tony. He didn’t know what this guy was planning but it couldn’t be good. 

His head was pounding in earnest now and the halo of light that danced around Peter’s vision told him that it would turn into a full blown headache soon. He prayed that it’d stop after he told Tony.

Too bad he couldn’t see Tony anywhere though. Peter knew he hadn’t left. He had to be there somewhere, but Peter couldn’t spot him in the crowd of people. 

The vision in his eye suddenly blurred and he ran straight into a woman. He watched in horror when her drink sloshed out of glass and onto the floor.

“I’m s-so s-sorry.” Peter stuttered, mortified, and ducked into the nearest restroom. 

The bright lights buzzing above Peter didn’t help his head any. It was officially a migraine now. He’d never had one come on that quickly before. 

Peter groaned and he leaned over the counter top, resting his forehead on the cool tile. His head felt like it would split open and his stomach rolled. He regretted eating all those crab cakes. 

Distantly, Peter heard the bathroom door open. He hoped that it was Tony coming to check on him. 

The sharp pain that shot down his spine told him that it wasn’t Tony. 

A large hand landed on his lower back and Peter gasped with the pain his senses emitted with the unwelcome touch. They were practically screaming at him now. He straightened and turned the best he could. Though fuzzy, Peter recognized the man from earlier. 

“You feeling okay, son?” The man’s tone oozed fake concern. His hand captured Peter’s wrist and held on tight. “You need some help?”

“I’m fine.” Peter tried to free his wrist but his head was killing him and the man was strong. “I was just going.”

“To find Tony, yeah you already said that already.” 

The man stepped forward into Peter’s space. Peter stepped back on instinct , but realized his mistake when his back hit the wall. He was cornered. The man leaned in until he was close enough that Peter could smell the alcohol on his breath. 

“You’re so handsome.” The man murmured close to Peter’s ear. Peter tried to squirm away but was held still. “No, that’s not the word. Pretty. That’s it. You’re so young and pretty. Stark’s a lucky man. I wish you were my intern.” 

The man kept Peter’s hand trapped and pinned against the wall, while the other slowly traveled towards his belt.

Peter gasped when the realization of his situation fully hit him, along with another sharp pain from his Spidey senses. He felt like he was going to puke. The man successfully undid Peter’s belt.

“Hey,” Peter gasped out. “No, stop.”

“It’s alright.” The man smiled, wolfish. “We’re just going to have some fun.”

The bathroom door slammed open before Peter could do anything else, and the man stumbled away like he’d been burned. 

Peter’s legs could no longer support him and he slid, boneless, to the floor. He looked up to see Tony standing there, a gauntlet wrapped hand pointed at the man.

“Is there a problem here?” Tony demanded, voice hard. His eyes darted down to Peter before refocusing on his attacker.

“Tony,” The man placated, raising his hands into a surrender position. “There’s no need for violence. The kid got sick and I was just checking on him.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed. “You have ten seconds to leave or I’m calling the cops.” 

The man booked it and as soon as he was out of sight, Peter lunged towards the closest stall. All of the expensive food he’d eaten violently came back up into the toilet. He heaved and heaved until there was nothing left then fell backwards against the wall.

Tony was crouched beside him talking on his phone.

“Yes. Yes. Oliver Waters, correct. I have footage if you need it. Alright. Thank you officer.”

Tony disconnected the call and slid the phone into jacket pocket. “That scum bag will be arrested within the hour, kid.” He appraised Peter intensely. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

Peter shook his head. Now that the imminent threat had passed, his headache had calmed down considerably. It still pounded but at least he could see again. 

“I’m okay.” Peter said, wishing he had some water or something to wash his mouth out with. “I’m sorry, Mr. Stark. I didn’t mean to cause a scene.” 

Tony’s face twisted. “You’re sorry? Kid, don’t apologize. That dick tried to-“He shook his head in anger. “You didn’t do anything wrong. There was no scene made. Thank god I just happened to see you bump that woman and go into the bathroom. Then I saw that creep follow you.”

Peter shuddered at the memory. He could still feel the man’s hot breath against his ear. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get rid of the image. 

When he opened them again, Tony was looking at him sadly. “I’m sorry, Peter. This is my fault. I should have never left you alone.”

Peter shook his head, wanting to stop Tony’s guilt trip before it started. “It’s not your fault, Mr. Stark. I’m okay. You stopped him.”

Tony didn’t seemed convinced but dropped it. “Let’s blow this popsicle stand, kid. You wanna go home or the tower?”

Peter thought about it for a moment. The plan for the night had been to stay at the tower and he really didn’t feel like explaining to May why he was coming home early. Besides, spending the night sandwiched between Pepper and Tony watching movies sounded perfect.

“Tower.” He finally answered and let Tony help him to his feet. Tony wrapped an arm around his shoulders and it was such a welcome touch compared to what he’d just experienced. Peter melted into the embrace and let Tony lead the way.

“Let’s go home, kid.”


	5. Poisoned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5- Posioned 
> 
> “What’s wrong, spider?” Scorpion taunted over him. “Can’t take a little poison?”
> 
> “Wha- what is this?” Peter gasped. His vision blurred and went wavy. Colors morphed around him, almost like a television losing signal. Beads of sweat rolled down his face.
> 
> “I’d tell you but that’d take the fun out of it.” Peter watched as Scorpion grabbed several of the bags of coins and started to walk away. “Well, I’d love to stay around and watch you die, but I have a job to finish. See you never, Spider-Man.”

Peter didn’t understand why Spider-Man got all the weirdo villains. 

You never saw Iron Man fighting against a guy with metal tentacles. Or Captain American duking it out with a giant lizard. Yet, Peter had both those guys on his roaster and was currently tied up with a guy that dressed like a giant scorpion, complete with a tail and stinger. 

Apparently, he called himself Scorpion which was easily one of the most unimaginable name of any of Peter’s villains. 

“Seriously? Where do you guys even come up with these costume ideas?” Peter asked as he scaled the bank wall that his villain of the week was attempting to rob. “Is there a group text? Facebook community?”

Peter dodged a bag of gold coins that was hurled at him. “Wait, would you be considered a furry?” He gasped in fake shock. “Wait, am I considered a furry?!”

“Don’t you ever shut up?” Scorpion hissed as he threw another bag. 

“When I’m asleep. Actually, that’s not true. I’ve been told I sleep talk.” Peter grinned when a well-timed web hit Scorpion right in the face. “Here’s a question for you, did you find the last bank in the world that still has gold coins? Who are you, Scrooge McDuck?”

Scorpion was struggling with the webbing when Peter noticed a woman pop up from behind a pillar. He frowned. He thought he’d gotten all of the civilians out and she was dangerously close to where Scorpion was blindly thrashing around. 

Peter leapt over to her. “Ma’am, you need to get out.” He nudged her towards the side door. “Go, I’ll distract him.” 

She made it halfway to the exit when Peter’s Spidey sense went wild. He had just enough time to turn before something slammed into him. He looked down in shock to see the tip of Scorpion’s tail sticking clean through his shoulder. 

Scorpion yanked it out, hard, and grinned as Peter collapsed to his knees. He gasped and palmed his shoulder as it started to burn. His whole upper body was on fire. 

“What’s wrong, spider?” Scorpion taunted over him. “Can’t take a little poison?” 

“Wha- what is this?” Peter gasped. His vision blurred and went wavy. Colors morphed around him, almost like a television losing signal. Beads of sweat rolled down his face.

“I’d tell you but that’d take the fun out of it.” Peter watched as Scorpion grabbed several of the bags of coins and started to walk away. “Well, I’d love to stay around and watch you die, but I have a job to finish. See you never, Spider-Man.”

Peter blinked as the bank around him turned green. The walls rolled like waves crashing into the floor. 

Peter shook his head, trying to concentrate. He had to get up. He needed to fix this before it killed him. 

Peter carefully stood and closed his eyes when the room spun around him. He needed to make an antidote. If he got to a lab he could try to make one from his infected blood.

He forced his eyes open and headed towards the wall. He slowly scaled it, trying to ignore the tiny green scorpions that crawled all over it. 

“It’s not real. It’s not real.” Peter repeated until he made it to the broken window and climbed out onto the roof. 

“Woah.” Peter breathed as he looked over the city. 

Everything was green. The sky, the air, the buildings. The skyscrapers swayed in the breeze, threatening to fall over at any second. 

A wave of nausea rolled through Peter and he didn’t know if it was because of the poison or because nothing would stay still.

 _Peter,_ Karen spoke, scaring Peter and making him jump. _your vitals are dangerously unstable and I detect an unknown toxin in your bloodstream._

“Just another day at the office, Karen.” Peter said, leaning over the edge of the building and trying to remember how exactly to get to the tower. “What’s the easiest route to the tower?”

Karen’s tone was disapproving. “You shouldn’t do any physical activity in your condition, Peter. It will only cause the toxin to move through your blood stream quicker. I suggest waiting for assistance. Calling Tony Stark.”

Peter didn’t have a chance to tell her to not to before Tony was patched through. 

“Peter, what’s going on? You’re vitals are off the chart.”

“Scorpion poisoned me with something. I gotta get to the lab, Mr. Stark.” Peter frantically batted away a scorpion that had crawled up his arm. “I can fix it.”

“Stop moving.” Tony snapped. “You’re making it spread.” 

“That’s what Karen said.” Peter tried to ignore the creatures that were now all over his body but couldn’t. It felt like ants were crawling all over him. He rubbed his arms and knocked them off.

“Well listen to her, kid.” Tony let out a tense breath. “Peter, listen. I’m at the compound but I’m leaving right now. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Do not move. Stay there and wait for me. Do you understand?”

“Sure, Mr. Stark.” Peter said while preparing to swing off the building. He remembered where the tower was now. He shot a web out and jumped. 

The buildings bent all around him. They twisted to get out of his way but Peter still had to dodge the giant scorpions that rested on the sky scrapers. The tails jutted out, just narrowing missing him each time. 

It must have flooded and he must have missed it, Peter thought. The streets below him filled with murky green water. It rose steadily over the cars and street signs. It crashed into the buildings in choppy waves.

Peter flinched when a loud voice boomed around him.

“Peter Parker, I told you not to move! Why are you swinging around the city?”

Peter frowned. He wasn’t sure, but the voice sounded like Uncle Ben’s. It wasn’t May. Who else would be yelling at him like that?

“I’m fine, Ben.” Peter said, tucking his feet underneath him so they couldn’t touch the gross green water. “I gotta get to a lab and fix this.”

Ben cursed. “Peter, listen to me. Just get to a rooftop and wait for me.”

The big neon A of the tower loomed in front of him and Peter landed on the glass. The window opened for him effortlessly and Peter stumbled inside. It was dark and quiet inside while Peter made his way to the elevator. 

Things moved just as restlessly inside as it did on the outside. The elevator buttons glowed green and shuffled around every time he tried to press one. He finally was able to stab one and he prayed it was the right one.

Peter groaned as another bout of nausea rocked him. Instead of passing quickly though, it stuck around. Peter bent over and ripped off his mask. 

He heaved twice before anything came up. Vomit splashed down around his feet, joining the standing green water that pooled around his ankles. He puked two more times and couldn’t help the whimper that escaped him after he got done dry heaving.

“It’s alright, Peter.” Ben said from somewhere.

It was so hot. Peter didn’t think he’d ever been so hot before in his life. Sweat poured off him and dripped into the collection of fluids on the floor. 

“You’re going to be okay, Peter. You need to get to the lab though. It’s right in front of you, buddy.” 

Peter lifted his heavy head but couldn’t see Ben anywhere. But he could hear him clearly, as if he was standing beside him though. “Ben?”

“It’s alright, Pete.” Ben told him. “I need you to get the lab and put that big brain of yours to work. I’ll be there in about five minutes.” 

Peter staggered out of the elevator and placed his hand on the metal rectangle beside the door. It still read his hand print even though the display kept jumping around. He stumbled into the lab and stared at all the equipment at a loss. His head was swimming. He had no idea where to even start.

“I don’t know what to do, Ben.” Peter whispered.

“Yes, you do.” Came Ben’s immediate response. “You’re the smartest person I know, Pete. You can do this. Get to work, Spider-Man.”

Peter squared his shoulders. If Ben believed he could do it then maybe he could. He had to try at the very least. 

First things first, he needed a sample of his blood. He made his way over to the equipment and found a syringe. He plunged into his arm and drew a vial full of blood then-

Peter blinked awake to a white ceiling above him and the sound of steady beeping beside him. He turned his head the other way to find Tony perched on a chair, sitting straight at attention.

“Hey, underoos.” Tony smiled, relaxing a little. “How you feeling?”

Peter blinked a few more times and took stock of himself. “Like I got hit by truck.” He said truthfully. “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?” Tony frowned.

Peter thought back but came up with nothing. He remembered fighting the Scorpion at the bank, then nothing. He didn’t even remember finishing the fight. “Scorpion did something?” 

“He poisoned you. He gave you a pretty healthy dose too.”

“Did you fix it?” Peter asked, even though he knew that Tony must have. He wouldn’t have been sitting there alive if he hadn’t.

“No,” Tony smirked at him. “You did, you maniac.”

“Huh?” 

“Yeah, you swung all the way to tower half out of your mind, hallucinating and everything, managed to get the lab, and created a cure from the poison in your blood.” Tony’s proud smile dimmed a bit. “You really don’t remember anything?” 

Not really, but there was one fuzzy thing that kept nagging at him. “I think I dreamed about my Uncle Ben. He was talking to me.”

Tony smiled sadly. “He must be looking after you, kid.” Tony patted Peter’s leg. “Just listen to him next time he talks to you. If he says stay put, then stay put. Now, what some ice cream?”

“Uh, sure.” Peter was even more confused now, if that was possible, but he wasn’t going to turn down ice cream. 

That night, he dreamed of working in the lab. When he woke up he couldn’t remember what he was working on but would never forget the feeling of both Ben and Tony proudly watching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took inspiration from the new Spider-Man PS4 game for today's prompt. So if it all sounds vaguely similar that's why. 
> 
> From here on out, I'm going to try and update everyday. Chances are I probably won't be able to, but I'm going try at least! 
> 
> I'm going on a cruise next week and I paid for an internet package but I don't know if it includes this site. I plan on doing a lot of writing though on my WIP and for Whumptober though so hopefully I'll have lots of updates within the next two weeks. 
> 
> Pray the muses smile upon me and cooperate. 
> 
> As always, thanks for all the kudos and comments :)


	6. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6- Betrayal
> 
> It still took Tony by surprise sometimes how easily Peter Parker wormed his way into Tony’s life. He fit inside Tony’s walls as easily as Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy did. The idol worship wore off a bit too quickly for Tony’s liking, but it revealed a quick thinking, sassy kid that could keep up with Tony on his best day. 
> 
> Peter was also loyal to a fault.
> 
> Which led them to this point in time: the “Rouge Avengers” standing just within the threshold of the compound, unable to get any further, getting stared down by a nearly snarling Peter Parker.

The walls around Tony Stark were very tall and thick. 

They had been since he was a child. They were built out of necessity to shield himself from the worst of Howard’s verbal and physical blows. They stayed up once Tony realized that the world would treat him no better than his father did.

They weren’t impenetrable however. Tony easily let people like his mom, Jarvis, and Anna in. It didn’t take long for Rhodey to gain entrance either. Pepper got a VIP access pass embarrassingly quickly. He put Happy through a trail by fire but let him in after the man passed with flying colors. 

Obie once had that privilege too. 

To this day, Tony doesn’t like to think about that time of his life much. There were few things worse than laying paralyzed on your own couch, in the safety of your own home, forced to watch only one of two men that your considered to be close enough to be like your father, literally rip your heart out and leave you for dead. 

It took Tony a long time to let anyone in after that. 

Natalie Rushman was probably the closest in the Obie aftermath to gain almost entrance. Tony still let Natasha Romanov in though, and the other Avengers, because he was a bleeding heart that apparently didn’t learn from his mistakes.

He wouldn’t lie, Steve Rogers’ and the other Avengers’ betrayal hurt almost as most as Obie’s. 

When it was all said and done, he didn’t care if they all didn’t agree on the Accords. It was just paperwork. Granted, if he’d had more time, they could have been revised, but that neither here nor there. It was how they left without a second glance that hurt the most. After Tony built them homes, and designed tech, and carved places for them inside his walls. He really thought they had been a family. 

Now Rogers had really screwed up. In all honestly, Tony wasn’t sure if he could ever forgive him. The sight of Rogers in his peripheral vision watching Tony watch that tape haunted him nearly as much as watching his parents get beat to death.

After picking himself up off that frozen Siberian compound, Tony swore that he wouldn’t let anyone else get close enough to even see his walls, let alone get inside. 

Then a spider came along. A certain pesky little spider that saved little old ladies and billions of dollars’ worth of tech just because he felt it was the right thing to do. A goodhearted spider that gave Tony a second chance after he’d been brushed off and handed off to someone else.

It still took Tony by surprise sometimes how easily Peter Parker wormed his way into Tony’s life. He fit inside Tony’s walls as easily as Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy did. The idol worship wore off a bit too quickly for Tony’s liking, but it revealed a quick thinking, sassy kid that could keep up with Tony on his best day. 

Peter was also loyal to a fault.

Which led them to this point in time: the “Rouge Avengers” standing just within the threshold of the compound, unable to get any further, getting stared down by a nearly snarling Peter Parker. 

Tony almost expected the kid to start growling at any second. His impression of an angry rottweiler must have been effective because even Rogers seemed hesitate to step any closer. 

The decision to let them back had been a difficult one. They understood that they were walking in with a negative amount of trust and friendship that they’d walked out with. But they were still willing to make amends, to make things right.

And it’d already been established that Tony was a bleeding-heart idiot. 

Tony let them sweat it out a bit longer before he called off his guard spider. He slung a friendly arm around the kid’s tense shoulders. He hoped the message that Peter was his kid and was not be corrupted was loud and clear.

“Gang,” Tony said, “this is my intern, Peter. Peter, this is the gang.”

Peter’s eyes narrowed. “I know who they are.” Ice was warmer than his tone.

“Stand down, Underoos. They come in peace.” Peter’s expression didn’t budge even a little bit. Tony sighed but pulled him close for a beat then released him. “Why do you go down to the lab. I’ll meet you in a second.” 

Peter didn’t look the least bit happy about it, but with one last withering look directed at Rogers, he turned and left.

Natasha smirked as soon as Peter was out of sight. “Cute guard dog, Stark. Is he house trained?”

“Peter is off limits.” Tony snapped, pointing at her then the rest of them. “I’m dead serious. If I hear that any of you even looked at him without my permission, you’re all out of here. Forever. Understood?” 

They all nodded, and Tony knew he’d have to take that for now. 

“You’re welcome to your old rooms and FRIDAY will help you with whatever you need. Ask her for stuff not me. I’m busy. We’ll have a meeting later in the week to hash out all the details.” 

Tony turned to leave by was stopped by Rogers.

“Tony,” The other man started then stopped. He opened his mouth but shook his head, apparently changing his mind about what he wanted to say. “Thank you for letting us come back.” 

Tony nodded quickly then left. 

Peter was still fuming when Tony got to the lab. The kid spun around slowly in a rolling chair, arms crossed. He looked every bit of sixteen. 

Tony didn’t say anything when he walked past but he did give Peter a pat on the shoulder. He went to the kitchen area and fixed himself a smoothie. He wanted something stronger but knew now wasn’t the time. He brought back a chocolate milk for Peter. He couldn’t help but grin when Peter didn’t stop pouting but took the drink anyways.

Tony settled in his own chair and rolled over to Peter. “What’s going on, kid? What was all that about?” He playfully kicked Peter’s chair. “I figured you’d be excited to meet Captain America.”

Peter looked up and actually looked offended. “How could you let them come back?”

Peter’s anger took Tony aback. The kid didn’t get mad easily. 

“We’re trying to work things out, Pete. The world may need the Avengers one day.” 

“They betrayed you.” Peter snapped.

“They won’t get full run of the place just yet.” Tony tried to reason with him. “They gotta work for it. It’s not going to be like the old days. Besides, I can take of myself, Pete.”

“He hurt you!” Peter practically yelled. “Mr. Rogers hurt you and left you in Siberia. And you’re just letting him come back to your home!”

Tony blinked in surprise. He’d never told Peter what happened after Germany and had never planned to. He shivered with the sudden chill that ran through him. He forced himself to take a steadying breath.

“How do you know about Siberia?”

Peter looked away. “You came back so hurt and I knew it had to more then what happened at the airport. I knew you wouldn’t tell me if I asked so I couple months I ago I did some research and saw the suit footage.”

Tony shook his head in disbelief. “You did research? What are you talking about?”

“Uh,” Peter said, sheepish. He rubbed the back of his neck. “I may have kind of hacked into FRIDAY.” 

Tony sighed harshly and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You hacked my top of line AI to get an answer to a very personal question that I may have given you the answer to if you’d just asked me like a regular person?”

“Would you have told me the truth?” Peter challenged. 

Tony sighed again, tiredly this time. “Probably not.”

Peter spread his hands into a ‘see’ gesture and Tony shot him a look.

“Don’t get smart.” He scolded, lightly. “Drink your milk.” 

Tony waited until Peter cracked open the drink and sipped half of it. The chilled milk seemed to cool him down some.

‘I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to think of Steve or any of the others differently. You need to form your own opinions that aren’t tinted by my thoughts or feelings.”

Peter listened and nodded. He finished his milk before speaking again. 

“Okay,” He said. “I thought about it and decided that I’m not going to trust them until they can earn it.” Tony went to argue but Peter talked over him. 

“I’m on your team, Mr. Stark. You can do whatever you want but I’m not letting Mr. Rogers off the hook that easy. Not until I know he’s not going to hurt you again.” 

Tony swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat and blinked away the unexpected wetness in his eyes. He stood up and hugged Peter to him. The kid wrapped his arms around Tony in an instant.

Tony didn’t have a lot of people that had found their way behind Tony’s wall and actually stayed there. But he was grateful for every single one of them. Especially nosy, too smart for their own good, spider kids.

“Thanks, kid.” 

“Always, Mr. Stark.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update on time? Tis a writing miracle!
> 
> Thank y'all for all the kuddos, comments, and prompts :)


	7. Kidnapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony had made him a watch for these such occasions. It recorded Peters vitals. It had an Avengers assemble signal. It had a panic button that sent a destress signal directly to Iron Man. It was water proof, fire proof, the works. 
> 
> It was sitting on top of Peter's desk. 
> 
> Tony had told him to never take it off and Natasha had told him to always pay attention and Peter never listened.

Natasha always told Peter that he couldn't rely on his instincts alone. She'd watched him train and said that his senses were too unreliable. That he couldn't depend on then. She told him that he needed to keep his head up,. He needed to be observant. 

Too bad that Peter always insisted on learning lessons the hard way. 

His spidey sense didn't go off until a spilt second before the they jumped out of the dark alley and plunged the needle into his neck. 

Peter turned around, fists already swinging, but whatever they gave him was fast acting and he slumped forward before any of his hits could connect. One of the guys caught him before he could hit the ground. Peter watched, detached, as his phone fell out of his hands and busted into a million pieces on the concrete. 

Tony had made him a watch for these such occasions. It recorded Peters vitals. It had an Avengers assemble signal. It had a panic button that sent a destress signal directly to Iron Man. It was water proof, fire proof, the works. 

It was sitting on top of Peter's desk. 

Tony had told him to never take it off and Natasha had told him to always pay attention and Peter never listened. 

***

Peter woke up slowly. He didn't think that he really woke up as drifted into some part of consusness. His eye lids were too heavy and wouldn't open no matter how hard he tried. Voices faded in and out around him.

"What if your wrong? What if he's just an intern?" 

"Yeah, Stark's not going to give out for some kid." 

"Shut up. I'm right. Look at him. That sedative would have killed a normal kid by now." 

Peter couldn't stop the shudder that ran through him as he drifted away again. 

***

Peter woke up with a gasp. He blinked his gritty eyes open and looked around. Where was he? 

It looked like some kind of abandoned warehouse. If he strained hard enough, he could hear water crashing against Docks and seagulls flying around. 

His arms were tied behind the chair he was strapped down to. His ankles were fastened to the legs and there was a thick metal chain around his chest. Peter flexed against his resistants and his heart sunk with nothing budged. Whoever put him here didn't want to take any chances of him escaping.

There was no need to panic, Peter told himself. He just needed to see what exactly he was dealing with. He narrowed his eyes and tried to activate his HUD screen. 

Nothing. 

"Karen?" He whispered but was met with silence. 

Then Peter remembered what happened and could the memory hit him like a punch. 

Peter Parker had been kidnapped, not Spider-Man. Though, by the way he was strapped down, Peter had a bad feeling that whoever did this knew that they had both. 

He glanced around but didn't see his backpack. Which meant that it was either laying on the sidewalk with his busted phone or his kidnappers had it. If they did have it then Mr. Stark could track the suit that was hidden away in the bottom of it. 

If they didn't have it, well Peter just hoped that May would get off work on time and notice that he wasn't at home. Then hopefully she'd call Mr. Stark. Either way, he knew that Mr.Stark would find him. It was just a matter of waiting. 

He knew it wouldn't hurt to get his own plan together too. Just in case. 

Peter heard voices getting closer and slumped forward. He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. Maybe, if he played possum long enough it'd buy him some time to think of something. 

A door opened and the voices grew louder. 

"He still ain't awake yet?"

"Hell, Johnson. You was wrong and know we've killed a kid." 

A pair of heavy feet walked towards Peter. 

"No names, you idiot. And he ain't dead." 

Peter couldn't help the gasp of pain that came out when a hand suddenly griped his hair and yanked his head back hard. 

"You ain't dead, are ya, Spidey?" 

Peter cracked his eyes open. He glared up at the man but said nothing. The man, Johnson the other thug had called him, grinned down at Peter and tightened his hold. 

"Don't play coy, kid." He said. "You're busted. We found your suit in your little backpack. Right next to your calculas book." 

On cue, thug number two unrolled the bundle that was in his hand. Sure enough, it was his suit that tumbled into the ground.

"I'm a cosplayer." Peter said and all three men laughed at him. 

Johnson shook his head. "You're a bad lair, kid." 

"I'm not lying." Peter insisted. 

The punch across his face was unexpected. Peters head snapped to the side and he spit a mouth full of blood out. The hand in his hair left and gripped his jaw turning him towards his attacker. 

"Enough with the games. I don't care about Spider-Man and I don't care that you're just some snot nose kid either." 

He tightened his hold after Peter tried to shake him loose. 

"What I do care about is the fact that you're Tony Stark's personal intern. Which means that you have information that I want. Information that you're going to give to me." 

"Like what?" 

"Anything. Lab codes, account information, Avengers info. You're going to talk and I'll decide what's useful." 

Peter spit out another mouthful of blood right on the guy's boots.

"I'm not telling you anything." 

Johnson blinked then took another swing. That time, Peter heard something in his nose crack and blood poured down his face. Before he could recover, Johnson punched him in the gut. 

The man kneeled down in front of him and traced Peters nose with his finger. His touch left a trail of fiery pain behind. 

"You'll tell me everything you know about Tony Stark or I will kill you." Johnson stood. "It's up to you." 

He walked back to the door. "Come on boys, let's give our little friend some time to think. Bring the suit too. We can take it apart and see what we can find." 

Peter valiantly held it together until he couldn't hear their footsteps anymore the he let out a sob. He only allowed himself the one though, just in case they could still hear him. His face throbbed. His nose was definitely broken. 

Peter yanked against his resistants again. Still nothing. 

Peter sighed. His best chances of getting out where either someone noticing he was gone and somehow founding him or Johnson and his thugs accidentally triggering the tracker on his suit. 

Either way, for time being, he was stuck. 

***

Johnson made good on his threat on coming back for information and Peter had no doubt that'd he'd make good on his threat of killing him too. It didn't matter that Peter kept telling them that he didn't know anything. 

The thing of it was, and it would have been kind of funny if Peter wasn't tied down and getting beat to death, that he really didn't know much of anything about what they were asking. 

It wasn't like Mr. Stark told him any trade or Avengers secrets. Peter wasn't even officially on the Avengers roaster. He was on the back up roaster at best. He hadn't even worked on a Iron Man suit yet. 

He didn't know much about Stark Industries either. He was pretty sure that he'd never even stepped foot in the building. When he worked with Mr. Stark they used the labs at the compound or tower. 

But Johnson either didn't believe him or didn't care. 

Peter counted one broken nose, two maybe three broken ribs, possibly a broken wrist, a definite concussion, and dozens of razor cuts up and down his arms. 

The cuts were deep enough to hurt but shallow enough to heal quickly and easily, which totally blew Peter's "I'm not Spider-Man" story out of the water. 

He wasn't sure how long he'd been there. It'd been Monday when they'd taken him, but he didn't know how long he'd knocked out for and the concussion and near constant beatings muddled things. 

Peter had stoped talking to them about three rounds ago. He figured there was no point wasting that energy if they didn't believe him. He fazed in and out awareness and just hoped that every time he he woke up that Johnson wouldn't be there and Iron Man would. 

***

Peter woke up to Johnson dragging a knife deep into his forearm. He couldn't stop the scream that left him. Johnson smirked up at him where he was kneeling beside Peter.

"There you are, Spidey." He cooed. "This isn't nearly as fun when you're asleep." 

Johnson made another deep cut and Peter didn't even try to keep quiet. Tears sprung to his eyes. He could hear his blood splatter onto the floor. 

"I'm going to give you one last chance, kid." Johnson said, making a cut across Peter's wrist. "Tell me what you know about Tony Stark and I'll let you go." 

"His favorite color is red." Peter offered up and only got punched in the face for his troubles. 

"Listen, I'm telling the truth." Peter said frantically as Johnson started towards his other arm with the knife. "I don't know anything." 

Johnson opened his mouth but was interpreted by the door slamming open. 

"It's true." Black Widow said. "We don't tell him anything. He's terrible at keeping secrets. Close your eyes, Peter." 

He did as he was told but could still hear the moment Natasha snapped Johnson's neck. He kept his eyes shut. For a long time then only thing Peter could hear was his own harsh panting. Then a small hand covered his. 

"Open your eyes for me, Peter. It's ok. He's gone. You don't have to worry about him anymore." 

Peter did and the only thing he could see was Natasha crouched in front of him. 

"We're going to get you out of here as soon as we can, okay?" 

"We?" 

"Yeah. We, kid." Iron Man said as he burst into the room. 

Peter gave them both as big as a smile as he could, hoped there much blood on his teeth, and then passed out. 

***

He woke up in the compound's medbay. His watch was strapped tight to his wrist. There was a sticky note attached to it. 

_Training sessions are every Wednesday at 6._

_TS and Widow_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be my last update until Saturday. I'll be on vacation with no internet available. But I plan on writing all week so I'll be doing lots of updates next weekend. 
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos and comments in advance and I'll see y'all next week! :)


	8. Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter frowned. “Uh, what is my current body temperature?”
> 
> “103.4.”
> 
> “Oh.” Peter said dumbly. That would explain why he felt so bad.
> 
> “Oh, indeed.”
> 
> It was times like this where Peter hated just a little bit his AI’s ability to tease him.

“Hey, Karen?” Peter asked as he sat shivering on the edge of a rooftop. “Could you turn up the heat some more?”

The AI paused for a long moment before responding. 

“I’m sorry, Peter.” She finally said. “I can’t raise the suit’s heat anymore as it would become a health hazard.”

Peter blinked and frowned as the skyline swam in front of him. “A health hazard?”

“Yes.” Karen told him, patiently. “Your body temperature is too high. Raising the suit’s heat any higher could lead to overheating and possible heat stroke.”

Peter frowned. “Uh, what is my current body temperature?”

“103.4.”

“Oh.” Peter said dumbly. That would explain why he felt so bad.

“Oh, indeed.”

It was times like this where Peter hated just a little bit his AI’s ability to tease him. 

“I recommend ending patrol for the night and heading home. You need rest.”

Actually, crawling into bed didn’t sound like such a bad idea. Peter stood up and squeezed his eyes shut against the way the city swayed around him. Yeah, bed was sounding better and better, but he still hated to leave patrol early.

“There’s nothing going on, though, right Karen?”

“No. It’s a quiet night. Would you like me to route out the fastest way home?”

Peter wrapped his arms around himself as another shiver racked through him. “Sure, thanks.”

“Of course, Peter.”

If you put a gun to Peter’s head, he couldn’t tell you how he got home. One moment he was leaping off the roof, following Karen’s directions, and the next he was crawling through his bedroom window. Sometime during the trip through, he had went from freezing cold to sweating bullets.

Once his feet hit the floor, Peter couldn’t get his suit off quick enough. He was drenched in sweat. His hair was plastered to his forehead. 

He thought he heard Karen say something as he tossed his mask on the desk but listening to her message was overridden by the intense need to get cool and fast. He wandered through the dark apartment, not bothering to turn on any lights as he passed through the rooms. 

“May?” Peter called out but was only met with silence. That was weird, he thought. Maybe she had to work late and forgot to tell him. She usually left a note if she knew that she’d be late but Peter was distracted by the blessed cool of the freezer to look for one.

The relief only last for a few minutes, though, before he was cold again. He shut the offending freezer door with a thud and leaned heavily against it when a wave of exhausted crashed over him. It didn’t pass though. It stayed on top on him, threatening to carry him down into an inky abyss. 

Peter weighed the pros and cons of going back to his bedroom and getting in his bed or just lying on the kitchen floor. In the end, he compromised and crawled over to the couch.  
He wrapped himself up tightly in the blanket that hung on the back of it and finally let the waves carry him away.

***

Peter woke up to someone shaking him gently. Even with his eyes closed, the movement made the world spin around him. His stomach rolled and his head pounded. He moaned his displeasure but the mystery person kept it up. 

“Peter, wake up buddy.”

Peter frowned. That sounded like Tony, but what he be doing there? 

Peter cracked an eye open and winced at the bright lights that accosted him. The sound of the lamp being clicked off made him try again and he found Tony leaning over him. He was frowning, his brow knitted together with worry.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter croaked and frowned at the sound of his voice. It hadn’t sounded that bad earlier. “What are you doing here?” 

Tony leaned back on his heels, his tense shoulders relaxing a bit now that Peter was awake and talking. “I could ask you the same question, bud.” 

“Huh?” Peter’s head hurt too much for riddles. 

Tony huffed as he laid a hand on Peter’s forehead for a beat before moving it into his sweat damp hair. “You were supposed to spend the night at the tower, remember?” 

Peter didn’t. 

“We set it up last week because May was working all weekend and didn’t want to leave you by yourself.” 

That wasn’t ringing any bells in Peter’s fog covered mind but the way Tony kept kneading his scalp was doing wonders for his headache. He sighed and leaned into the touch. If he wasn’t feeling so out of it, Peter would have been embarrassed by the whine that escaped him when Tony stopped and helped him sit up.

“I was worried out of my mind when you didn’t show up or answer your phone. Karen let me know what had happened and I came to check up on you.” 

“Sorry.” Peter groaned when Tony stood him up. He swallowed heavily and tried to not pay attention to how everything spun around him. He closed his eyes and leaned against Tony as they moved towards the door. 

“It’s fine, spider-baby.” Tony said, adjusting his hold on Peter and taking on more of his weight. “It actually wasn’t your fault this time. I’ve just gotten used to you shaving years off my lifespan.” 

“Why, Mr. Stark,” Peter giggled but didn’t know why. Maybe the fever had already cooked his brain. “You do care.” 

Peter didn’t need to open his eyes to see the smile on Tony’s face. “Okay, it’s time to get you to the tower. You’re delirious. And for the record, I don’t care. I just like to protect my investments. And you, my arachnid friend, are a very costly investment.” 

Peter laughed on purpose this time. “Sure, Mr. Stark. Whatever you say.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, remember when I promised lots of updates because I was going to write so much on my vacation? That was a funny joke, wasn't it?? Apparently, I severely underestimated how exhausting cruising with a nine month old would be. We had fun though and the baby boy had a blast, I just ran out of time to write.
> 
> So please forgive the lack of updates. I will finish Whumptober but it'll likely leak over into November. And I am working on my WIP, I promise. 
> 
> Thank y'all for all the kudos, comments, and support. When I finally got my hands on some internet, the hit count and kudos on this sucker warmed my heart and gave me a much needed kick in the pants to continue. :)


	9. Stranded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I forget that you’re in college sometimes, Petey. You’re all grown up.” 
> 
> Peter buried his head in his hands and groaned. “Please don’t make this worse then what it already is, Mr. Stark.” He pleaded, repeatedly banging his head against the dashboard.

“Hey, Pete.” Tony drawled out the open car window. “How was your night?” 

Tony watched from the driver’s seat as one nearly nude Peter Parker threw himself into the passenger seat and closed the door with a huff. 

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Peter shivered in just his bright blue Captain America boxers and Spider-Man mask and cranked up the car’s heater, turning all the vents on him. 

Tony let him sulk in silence and started driving back towards the tower. After a few minutes, Peter’s shivers died down. He took off the mask and stared out the window.

“So,” Tony started. “may I ask why you’re running around naked on a Saturday night when you said you’d be on patrol?”

Peter gave him a weak glare. “I’m not naked.”

“You’re way too close to naked for me to be comfortable with.” Tony argued. “What happened?”

Peter didn’t answer for a long time. 

“My suit got stolen “Peter finally sighed and turned back to the window. 

Tony blinked at the cars ahead of him. 

“I’m sorry.” Tony said, flatly. “Your suit was stolen?”

“Yeah.”

“While you were wearing it?”

“Yes.” Peter snapped. “They stole it and my regular clothes are in my backpack that’s halfway across the city and it’s too cold to swing. I was stranded there so I called you.”

Tony tried to process what he’d just been told. Admittingly, he was struggling. 

“Peter.” Tony said, dumbfounded as he pulled into the tower’s parking lot. “Who on earth would strip you down then steal your clothes?”

It was only because he parked the car and turned towards the kid that was he able to see Peter blush so violently that his body turned red. 

And-oh. That was all the answer the Tony needed. He could unfortunately fill in the rest of the blanks. 

“I forget that you’re in college sometimes, Petey. You’re all grown up.” 

Peter buried his head in his hands and groaned. “Please don’t make this worse then what it already is, Mr. Stark.” He pleaded, repeatedly banging his head against the dashboard.

Tony nodded to himself and tried to think of how best to handle the situation. He thought back to his own awkward romantic escapades. He tried to think of what he would have wanted his father to say to him, other than shaming him.

Tony cleared his throat. “Have I ever told you the story of when I got stranded at a lake when I was in MIT?”

Peter didn’t lift his head up but he stopped trying to knock himself out so Tony continued. 

“There was a big group of us that went out to this lake house the weekend after finals. I had a huge crush on one of the girls going, but hadn’t had the nerve to make move yet. One night, she came up to my room and we started talking. We were having a good time and she told me to meet her at the lake. Sans clothes.” 

Tony cut his eyes over to Peter who was now watching with a sympathetic grimace. 

“So there I was in the water, naked as the day I was born, when she and her friends come giggling up the dock. They stole my clothes and ran off. I had to walk back naked to the lake house, humiliated of course, and sneak back into my room without anyone seeing me. I found out later that she been dared to do it and didn’t like me in the least.” 

Tony shrugged. “All that to say, I get it, kid. It sucks but it happens to everyone. It could be worse.”

Peter didn’t look comforted in the least. He shook his head. “This is worse, Mr. Stark. It’s so much worse. I’m so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid.” Tony reassured. “Though, I can’t tell you it’s not worse if I don’t know what happened.”

Peter twisted his hands in his lap. 

“Uh,” He started after a long moment. “This girl doesn’t know about Peter Parker. She’s just interested in Spider-Man.” 

“Kinky, but go on.” Tony ribbed and Peter made a face at him.

“Gross. Anyways, she teases and flirts with me a lot. I can’t ever tell if she’s serious though. It’s usually just a game. Tonight though,” Peter cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, tonight was different.”

His blush started back up big time and Peter looked at everything but Tony.

“She asked me to meet her and things kind of got heated. Next thing I knew she had my suit and was gone.” 

“Do you think she’s been trying to steal the suit?” Tony asked and Peter instantly started shaking his head. 

“No. I just think she thought it’d be funny.”

“Okay, then. We can fix it.” Tony took out his and sent out a quick text to Happy to bring Peter some clothes. Then he pulled up the controls to Peter’s suit. “Alright, then. What’s her name?”

“Oh, um, I-I don’t know.” Peter stammered, obviously lying, and Tony pinned him with a look. “I’m not at liberty to say.”

Geez, this kid.

“You’re not at liberty to say?” Tony repeated incredulously.

“Yes.” Peter was now a shade unhealthy shade of red. 

Tony pursed his lips and held up the phone for Peter to see. “I’m about to turn on the suit’s camera. You have to the count of three to tell me who it is so I can get my mutil-million dollar suit back. One.”

Peter exploded into a panicked frenzy.

“Mr. Stark, you said that you were going to disable the baby monitor!”

“Two.”

“This is a huge invasion of privacy!”

“Two and half.”

“This isn’t funny, Mr. Stark!”

“Two and three quarters.”

“Tony, please don’t!”

“Three.”

Tony turned it on and saw the Black Cat staring back at him. She a cat burglar that had so far evaded the police and got on Spider-Man’s radar. They had been spotted multiple times together but Tony had assumed that it had always been strictly business.

Apparently not.

Cat’s lips were pulled up into a seductive smile as she slinked towards the camera. She lifted a clawed finger and traced the mask. Her voice filtered through the phone’s speaker.

_“Hey, Spider._

_“Hey, Cat.”_ Came Peter’s voice, low and husky in a way that made Tony want to burst his own ear drums. 

_“I’m glad you agreed to meet me tonight. I wasn’t sure if you’d come.”_

_“Hopefully you will too.”_

“Okay! We’re done here.” Tony shouted loud and just as panicked as Peter had been a few seconds ago. He shut off the phone completely when he couldn’t figure out how to turn off the video. He threw it up on the dashboard for good measure too. 

Tony hadn’t blushed in thirty years but knew he was just as red or redder as Peter was at that moment. Peter chose to bash his head against the window this time. He only stopped momentary when Happy tapped against the glass, Peter’s clothes in hand and a confused frown on his face.

Tony cracked the window down. 

“Give us a sex-SEC. Give us a second!”

Happy’s eyes widened at Tony’s sudden yelling and he back away from the car slowly. 

“Okay.” Tony did one of the yoga breaths that Pepper taught him. “Let’s do this. I’ll make you a new suit; one without the baby monitor protocol. And let’s forget this ever happened and never speak of it again. Agreed?”

“Agreed.” Peter said instantly and Tony was truly worried about the kid’s blood pressure now, he was still so red. 

They both got out of the car and Peter quickly shimmed into the jeans and shirt that Happy brought him. They all three walked towards the elevator in silence until Tony broke it.

“Just one thing, then back to not speaking about it ever again.”

Peter groaned. “Mr. Stark, please no.”

“Her? Really?”

“Who?” Happy pipped up.

“No one.” Tony and Peter said at the same time. Then Tony said,

“Are criminals your kink? Because, if so, it’d make sense. And there’s no shame as long as you’re being safe.”

“MR. STARK!”

Peter’s yell echoed around the parking garage mixing with Tony’s laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've written so much sad, depressing stuff here lately. Y'all deserve some fluff and two embarrassed bois. 
> 
> As always, thank y'all for all the support <3


	10. Bruises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The men that pulled them into the alley are huge. We’re talking Captain America size. There was three of them and they were practically besides themselves with giddiness once they got a good look at their prey. You’d think that they won the criminal jackpot.
> 
> Maybe they did. They did just catch Tony Stark without his amour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad y'all loved the second hand embarrassment I subjected you to last chapter. There's no awkward almost sex talks in this one though. Just good ole regular pain and suffering!

The men that pulled them into the alley are huge. We’re talking Captain America size. There was three of them and they were practically besides themselves with giddiness once they got a good look at their prey. You’d think that they won the criminal jackpot.

Maybe they did. They did just catch Tony Stark without his amour. 

Tony guessed that this was the price he paid for spoiling Peter. The plan had been to go to Tony’s favorite steak house to celebrate the kid making honor roll. But, because Tony was wrapped around his pinky finger, all it took was Peter’s off handed mention of his favorite hole in the wall joint that had Tony changing their plans.

He’d even given Happy the night off so that they could walk off their greasy hamburgers. And look where that got them; trading punches with over grown thugs in a dirty alley. 

The steak house was on a very well-lit street with no dingy alleys that held criminals in it, just for the record.

Peter was holding his own pretty well. A little too good, in fact. So good that two of guys decided to team up and focus their efforts on bringing him down. Peter played defense, trying to subdue them both without showing too much of his spider hand.

Tony only had one plan. It was entitled: Don’t get killed. Sure, it wasn’t his most detailed plan but improvising was what Tony did best.

He fell back to the boxing pointers that Happy had taught him. He hoped that it would buy him enough brownie points that Hogan wouldn’t kill him himself when this was all over with. 

Tony had to say that he was proud of the jab that sent his assailant stumbling away. Too bad it didn’t last long though. The guy angrily shook it off and came storming back towards Tony. His meaty hands wrapped around Tony’s neck and lifted him up off the ground.

Any and all of Tony’s training went out the window in a blind panic.

His hands scrambled and clawed at the thug’s arms. He could fell the skin give way underneath his fingernails and blood trickle down the guy’s arms but it didn’t seem to faze him. A swift kick to the stomach only made him madder.

The guy’s grip tightened and alarm bells rang in Tony’s head.

He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe.

Black spots took up most of Tony’s vision as he desperately kept digging his nails into his attacker’s arm. It did nothing but make the hands around him squeeze tighter.

Hazily, Tony thought about Peter. Barely awake, Tony tried to find him. His eyes darted around the alley until he found the kid. 

He had one thug on the ground and nearly had the other down too. He hadn’t noticed Tony’s situation. That was probably for the best, Tony thought. He didn’t want the kid seeing this.

He hoped that the kid wouldn’t blame himself for tonight though. Peter had a guilt complex to rival Tony’s. 

Tony’s vision blacked out completely. He felt his hand drop down without his permission. Distantly, he thought he heard an angry shout.

“Mr. Stark!”

Than nothing.

***

When Tony blinked back to life, his first coherent thought was how great it was that he could breathe again. The next was that there was a solid weight on his chest. After a moment, he gathered his strength and lifted his neck to see what was on top of him. 

It was Peter. 

The kid was kneeled beside him, his forehead pressed against the dip of Tony’s sternum. His breaths came out in hot, tired pants against the fabric of Tony’s shirt. Peter’s whole body shook but Tony couldn’t tell if he was crying. 

The question was answered for him when Peter turned his head just enough to catch Tony’s eyes, with red but dry eyes of his own. 

“Pete,” Tony’s croaked out and instantly winced. His voice sounded horrible and pain radiated down his throat. He wondered if there’d be any permeant damage.

“Don’t try to talk.” Peter’s instructed, his own voice muffled when he turned his head back into Tony’s chest. 

Tony looked around the alleyway, trying to fill in the blanks of what happened after he blacked out. All three thugs were unconscious and webbed to the brick wall across from them. They were mostly in one piece expect for the one that attacked Tony. 

Spider-Man might not kill people but he’d give them a hell of a beating if you pissed him off enough, apparently. 

“I called the police and Cap.” Peter explained. ”He said that he’d try to beat the police here, but I put my web shooters in my backpack though, just in case.” 

“Good boy.” Tony whispered hoarsely but proudly, disobeying orders but Peter didn’t say anything. He turned his face back into Tony’s shirt with a half grin that faded away too quickly for Tony’s liking. 

After a moment, Peter lifted his head again and gave him a worried frown.

“What’s wrong?” 

Peter took out his phone and flipped the front facing camera towards Tony.

Ouch. 

No wonder it hurt so much to talk. 

Tony’s throat was already littered with a ring of ugly deep purple bruises. It traveled from one side of his neck to the other. Two big violet thumbprints met in the middle, right over his wind pipe.

“Yeah,” Peter grumbled as he put up his phone. “Like I said, don’t talk.” 

Tony nodded obediently and Peter laid his head back down, seemingly satisfied. 

Tremors still ran through the kid and Tony was kind of surprised that the incident had shaken him up so badly. He’d gotten hurt way worse in front of Peter on missions. And yeah, Peter tended to take any injury that Tony got badly, but this one seemed to really get to him. 

Then it hit him like a fright train. 

Peter watched his uncle get killed in an alleyway.

Tony blew out a sigh, kicking himself for forgetting. No wonder Peter was tore up over seeing Tony get attacked like that. 

Peter tilted his head, questioning, and Tony shook his own head quickly. Silently, he lifted a hand and cupped the back of Peter’s curls then he ran his fingers through Peter’s hair. Tony put everything that he wanted to say but couldn’t into the touch.

They were okay. Peter had saved him. They would be alright.

Peter must have gotten the message because his eyes slipped closed again and he leaned into Tony’s touch. It was a long moment before Peter spoke again.

“That was scary, Mr. Stark.” He said, his voice quiet. Then, “Next time you choose the restaurant.” 

Tony couldn’t help the bark of laughter that ripped from his abused throat. He ran his other hand up and down Peter’s back until the boy finally stopped shaking.

They laid like that on the concrete, cold and shivering, but content until the cavalry arrived.


	11. Hypothermia

It started with an innocent question. 

“Hey, Pete. Want to go to Siberia with me?”

And ended with Peter keeled over in an abandoned HYDRA base.

Tony knew that it wasn’t all his fault. Peter had to shoulder some of the blame. Especially considering that he was a, for the most part, well-adjusted seventeen year old with, God knew, a perfectly functioning mouth and set of vocal cords.

And yeah, Tony noticed how the kid started shivering in early October, even though it was light jacket weather at best. And then how by Thanksgiving, Peter was practically more outwear then person. But he always said that he was fine when Tony asked and honestly, Tony didn’t think any more about it. He assumed that the kid just ran a bit on the cold side and left it at that. 

Until Peter fell to his knees, hard, inside a concrete compound that wasn’t much warmer then the frigid winter air outside. 

Peter was shivering so badly by the time Tony dropped to his side, that the air around him seemed to vibrate with him. His teeth clanged together so hard that Tony was considered about the possibility of Peter biting his tongue off. He brushed a hand against the kid’s forehead and flinched back when he discovered ice cold skin.

“What’s wrong, kid?” Tony asked, searching for some hidden wound that Peter must have kept from him. “What’s going on?”

“C-c-c-old.” Peter somehow stuttered out and Tony frowned. 

Yeah, it was cold but FRIDAY told him that Peter had the suit’s heater on full blast. Plus, he was wearing a thick parka over it. The only skin that was exposed was his face but he had only taken off the mask once they got inside. 

“Patch me through to Karen, FRI.” Tony instructed. Peter’s AI greeted him just as polite and formal as Peter.

“Hello, Mr. Stark.” 

“Hey, Karen.” If the situation wasn’t so dire, Tony would have grinned. “What’s going on with our boy?”

“Peter’s body temperature is around 93 degrees Fahrenheit but is rapidly dropping.”

“Shit.” Tony cursed, a jolt of panic shooting through him. 

That was hypothermia territory. He kicked himself for not recognizing the symptoms earlier. He should have known something was up when the kid slowly dropped his steady stream of commentary and had went quiet. 

Peter needed to get warm and fast, but Tony couldn’t help him here. They needed to get back to the jet. The one was sitting outside in the cold, blowing snow. 

Tony fell back on his heels as he weighed his options. With the suit, he could easily carry Peter out, but he didn’t want to expose the kid to the elements more then he had too. Peter’s shivering had already slowed in the few short moments since he’d collapsed. His head lolled backwards against the wall, awake but barely. He didn’t have much time so Tony made a decision. 

He carried Peter to the entrance of the base then laid the barely moving Peter on the ground. The Iron Man fell off of Tony and encased Peter, then it flew out the open compound door and took it’s occupant inside the waiting jet. 

Tony bounced up and down as he watched Peter get delivered safely. Blood pumping, he ran out into the snow.

***

“Did you know that spiders can’t thermoregulate?”

Tony didn’t intend for those to be his first words to the kid when he woke up, but he had just spent the past six hours doing an ungodly amount of research on the subject and they just kind of fell out. 

“Huh?” Peter mumbled, still half asleep, from his bed in Med Bay. Tony gently swatted away the hand that clumsily edged over to pick at the warming IV.

“Don’t touch that and apparently you’re just enough spider that you can’t either.”

“Huh.” Peter grunted in acknowledgement this time. His eyes closed again. “I think I read that somewhere.”

“And you didn’t think to mention that to me before freezing to death?” Tony couldn’t keep the bite out of his voice, the kid had scared him good, and Peter’s eyes cracked back open at the sound of it.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Stark.” Peter apologized, meekly. “I’ve been colder since the spider bite but I didn’t think anything about it.”

Tony blew out a breath and put his head in his hands. It was hard to be mad at the kid for every long. Even if he did give Tony near heart attacks on a regular basis.

“It’s alright, Peter.” He said as patiently as he could. “Just tell me when these things start happening so they don’t turn into big things, like this.” 

Peter nodded and Tony smiled, breaking the tension. His kid was okay, he reminded himself. They’d be okay.

“Are you warm enough?” Tony asked, standing and fussing over the heated blankets that they’d tucked around Peter.

“Yeah.”

“Good.” Tony nodded, satisfied. “Bruce is going to look into some options so we can fix this. So, in the meantime, no snowball fights.” 

Peter’s face immediately fell. 

“But the tournament!” He protested. “Cap said I’m our team’s secret weapon!”

Tony shrugged, not the least bit moved. “Should have thought about that before you decided to try to freeze to death.” 

“Mr. Stark,” Peter whined and frowned when it got him nowhere. He sunk back against his pillows with a sulk. 

“Sorry, kiddo.” Tony patted the top of Peter’s messy curls. “Hopefully Bruce can find a quick solution. Now, can I offer you a hot chocolate in this trying time?” 

“Fine.” Peter pouted. 

He was back fast asleep before Tony made it down the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May I offer you an It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia reference and a spiders can't thermoregulate trope in these trying times?


	12. Electrocution

Tony didn’t think to say anything until Peter was already elbow deep in an old busted Iron Man helmet that the kid had adopted as a project. 

_“You can’t just destroy it, Tony. It’s still got some use, even it’s a little broken.”_

There was something wrong with the wiring that connected to the heads up display. It gave Tony a good shock the last time he’d worked on it but nothing major, so he thought nothing of the causally tossed warning.

“Be careful with those wires, kid. They’ve bit me before.”

Of course, the words were barely out of his mouth when a loud crack rang out around the lab. Tony turned back and watched in horror as Peter went flying backwards out of his chair. He went about five feet before fitting the floor. He didn’t move. 

Tony cursed as he got out of his own chair and rushed towards him. He crashed to his kneed beside Peter and frantically searched for a pulse. 

Nothing. 

He wasn’t breathing and Tony was dangerously close to following suit. There was actually smoke rising off of the kid like he was a damn cartoon character. 

Tony knew what to do. He was just drawing a blank. He couldn’t think past the panic that was buzzing around in his skull. Thank God, his girl FRIDAY was always around.

“His heart has stopped. You need to get the defibrillator pads, boss.” A drawer just to Tony’s left popped open, revealing an AED kit. “You will also need to do CPR as well.”

“Right, right.” Tony muttered to himself as he unpacked the kit as quickly as he could. Tony hoped that Peter would forgive him as he cut his favorite shirt right down the middle. He moved as fast as he could, but the seconds seemed to stretch as he placed the pads on Peter’s bare chest before launching into a round of chest compressions.

FRIDAY counted steadily above him and Tony was thankful for it. He was doubtful that he could even count correctly at that instant. Her non plussed voice was an anchor and Tony clung to it. 

The pads sent the first shock and Tony watched in horror as Peter’s whole body jerked up off the floor with it. Peter was still, unmoving. Tony cursed as FRIDAY guided him through another round of compressions.

The second jolt did the trick. Tony fell back, relieved beyond belief as Peter gasped awake and knife jacked into a sitting position, like Lazarus rising from the dead. His eyes flew open and he looked around the room wildly. 

“T-Tony?” 

Tony pried his now violently shaking hands from his face that he didn’t remember placing them to there begin with, at Peter’s shaky tone and pulled him close. Admittingly, the contact was more for Tony’s sake then it was for Peter’s but it seemed to comfort the kid all the same. Peter allowed himself to be held as Tony’s hands wormed their way into Peter’s curls. He whispered quiet reassurances into the air.

“Shh. You’re okay. We’re okay.”

They sat that way for several minutes. Until most of Tony’s shaking had subsided and Peter’s quietly started up, his shock wearing off. 

He wiggled out of Tony’s tight grasp and looked up at him with wide eyes. His cheeks and forehead were smeared with black soot and he smelled vaguely like a barbecue.

“Did I just die?” He asked.

Tony was too exhausted even try to hide his flinch. 

“We won’t count it since it didn’t take, kid.” 

Peter nodded solemnly and let Tony manhandle him to his feet. 

“Here’s what we’re going to do though,” Tony said, leading them both towards the lab doors. “We’re going to get you checked out then, after you get a clean bill of health, we’ll watch movies and eat ice cream until we puke.”

“Yeah, okay. That sounds good.” Peter said slowly. 

“Oh, and Pete?”

“Yeah?” Peter blinked up at Tony.

“Don’t tell Pepper.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *nervously pulls on collar* Boy, these just keep shorter and shorter, don't they? 
> 
> PS, if anyone has read my WIP Four Trimesters, this is the incident that's referred to in chapter three. 
> 
> Thank y'all again for all the kudos and comments! <3


	13. "Stay."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey! You in the blue.” Tony snapped his fingers and got the attention of a young looking policeman who wasn’t doing anything and looked to be in desperate need of a task. “I need you to watch this kid. Make sure he doesn’t go anywhere. That’s an order from Iron Man.”
> 
> “Y-yes, sir!” The officer said eagerly but Peter squawked indigently.

They were walking around the city when it happened.

FRIDAY threw an alert up on his glasses warning him, but Tony knew before the words finished forming on the screen that something is wrong just by the way Peter stiffened beside him.

“Tony,” Peter said, uneasily, and started to look around for whatever his senses were trying to warn him about.

“I know, kid.” Tony soothed. He skimmed FRIDAY’s message about the apartment building a block from them that was on the edge of collapse. “Listen, I’m going to call Happy and he’ll pick you up- Peter?”

Peter was long gone.

Tony cursed and ran straight to the danger, knowing that that was where the kid would be. Like a moth to a flame. He got there just in time to yank Peter back over the police tape by the hood of his jacket. 

The place was in absolute chaos. The police were busy trying, but ultimately failing, to hold off the crowd of concerned residents and rubberneckers. There were a few fires on some of the floors and firemen rushed in and out carrying and herding people out of the building.

Tony held Peter away from the action, like a mamma cat carrying her kitten by the scruff of its neck.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Tony snapped as Peter tried to squirm out of his grip.

“I’m trying to help!”

“With what? Your suit?” Tony hissed and watched as it dawned on Peter’s face as he remembered where exactly his suit: in his backpack that he left in the backseat of the car that Happy drove back to the tower.

“Oh.” Peter breathed.

“Yeah, oh.” Tony rolled his eyes. Then he turned his attention to FRIDAY

“What’s going on, baby girl?” He asked, while trying to keep one eye on the situation and the other on his intern that was trying to escape his grip.

“I’m finding reports of a bombs. One had already gone off and police think there may be two more in the building somewhere. It’s an old building already, boss. It could go down at any minute.” 

Tony blew out a breath. Alright, he needed backup. 

“Who do we have on roster, FRI? Besides, the spider-kid.” Tony added, shooting a very pointed glance at Peter, who had his hand helpfully raised. 

She hummed a bit. 

“Not going to lie, boss. We don’t have a lot of options. It looks like the only person available is Colonel Rhodes. Unless you’d like me to contact the others.”

“Uh, they’re war criminals now, FRI. Remember?” Tony skirted away from that conversation as quickly as humanly possible. “What’s Vision up to?”

FRIDAY paused for a moment. “I am unable to reach him. Would you like me to call Colonel Rhodes? He is close to the area.”

Tony sighed. “Yeah, call in honey bear.”

“Tony,” Peter started to say when Tony finally let him go, but Tony ignored him. He tapped the nano bot unit that sat on the middle of his chest twice and was instantly covered head to toe in his suit, because Tony always made it a point to keep his suit on him and not stuffed in a backpack. 

“Tony,” Peter tried again.

“You’re not going in.” Tony said, shutting him down. 

“But I have spare in a backpack that’s like a block from here! I’ll go get it. It’ll just take a second.” Peter argued, already edging away.

“I said no.” Tony snapped. He retracted the face plate and gripped Peter’s shoulders, holding the kid in place. “It’s too dangerous. I’d hesitate sending Spider-Man in and I’m especially not sending Peter Parker.” 

_you’ve already been crushed by a building. I’m not going to let you get blown up and crushed at the same time._ was what he wanted to say. But, even as he thought it, Tony knew it would be a waste of breath. The kid would just puff out his chest and say that he could handle it.

“This isn’t fair.” Peter said, his chest already poking out just like Tony knew it would. 

That was when the second explosion went off. It was a small one, thank God, but it still rocked on them on their feet. Tony quickly hunched over Peter, shielding him from the worst of it. The heat rolled past them. Screams filled the air.

“Boss, there’s not much time.” FRIDAY said in his ear.

Tony huffed out a breath, frustrated, just as Rhodey flew past the crowd and into the building. He turned back to Peter, who looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel. 

“Peter,” Tony said urgently, moving his hands from the kid’s shoulders to his arms. “Stay here. I am deadly serious. Do not move a muscle. I’ve got this.” 

“Hey! You in the blue.” Tony snapped his fingers and got the attention of a young looking policeman who wasn’t doing anything and looked to be in desperate need of a task. “I need you to watch this kid. Make sure he doesn’t go anywhere. That’s an order from Iron Man.”

“Y-yes, sir!” The officer said eagerly but Peter squawked indigently.

“But-“

“No buts!” Tony snapped. “You stay here and if you even think about moving, I will ground you for a year.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Yes, I can. I signed co-parenting papers with your aunt May. I have grounding rights.” 

“That’s not a thing!” Peter yelled after him as Tony turned on his heels and flew away, heading into the complex. 

Tony landed in the destroyed lobby just as Rhodey’s voice rang through his comms. 

“Nice of you to finally join. You ready to work?” 

“Always, platypus.”

The first responders had done an excellent job of getting the majority of the residents out by the time the superheroes started flying in. It was also helpful that the building was small. They mostly needed help getting those that were trapped out safely.

Tony and Rhodey made quick work of getting people, carrying each out of the building and safely depositing them outside. Tony made it a point to look for Peter after each trip. 

Surprisingly, the teenager did as he was told. He stood stiffly by the officer that was taking his job from Iron Man very seriously. Peter’s stormy expression grew more thunderous every time Tony looked his way. 

“I think this is the last one, Tones.” Rhodey said a few minutes later as they dropped off their charges at the rows of ambulances that sat a safe distance away. 

“Hang on,” Tony said, glancing at the readings that FRIDAY gave him. “FRI was showing three more a second ago.

The words were barely out of his mouth when another explosion detonated, knocking them back a few steps. It was a much bigger then the first two and this one finished the job, sending the building crumpling into itself and blowing cement and debris into the air. 

A new round of panic filled the air. People were screaming and crying. Paramedics rushed around. 

Something tickled at the back of Tony’s neck. Like a sense of dread that hovered over him. Tony liked to tease the kid and say that he had ‘Parker Sense’. He’d told Peter that it was like his Spidey sense but just told Tony when Peter was thinking about doing something incredibly stupid.

Now, looking around at the crowd people, his Parker Sense sang.

Rhodey was telling him something but Tony couldn’t understand it. “Where’s Peter?” He interrupted, trying to not let his panic seep through.

Rhodey picked up on it anyways. “He’s standing right where you left, man. Look-“ 

He stopped speaking suddenly and Tony spun around, his panic surging. Blood rushed to Tony’s ears and his stomach dropped. The young officer was still there, helping an older woman out, but Peter was nowhere to be found. 

“FRIDAY,” Tony managed to choke out and his girl understood right away.

“I’m detecting life forms in the alley around 100 feet from your right, boss. But I can’t tell if it’s him or not.”

Tony took off in that direction and he quickly spotted an alley that was still framed by a huge chunk of wall that hadn’t been destroyed. His heart stuttered at the sight of two figures standing there. One was a young woman, who was shaking and crying, and the other was Peter. 

He was hunched over slightly, holding something delicately in his arms. He watched Peter carefully hand the bundle over to the woman. She tearfully thanked him over and over, alternating kissing her newly returned baby and Peter's cheek. After she calmed a bit she left, passing Tony.

Peter looked up. His face was covered with ash and pieces of concrete stuck to his clothes. He wrung his hands together nervously as Tony stepped towards him.

“I know what you’re going to say. You told me to stay put and I disobeyed you and I really screwed the pooch. I know, I know.” Peter rambled. He took a step backwards when Tony opened the suit and stepped out, just like he did after the ferry incident. 

“B-but they were trapped in their apartment and the door was blocked. And I could hear them and my Spidey sense was going crazy and I didn’t know if you knew that they were there. I had to try and get them. I couldn’t leave them, Tony.”

His chest was puffed back out again by the time he got done with his story but Peter stumbled back another step as Tony stood toe to toe with him. He looked up with a wild look in his eyes. “Tony-I- please say something. Yell or something say, please.”

Tony didn’t say a word. Instead, he tugged Peter forward and gathered him up in crushing hug. He tucked Peter underneath his chin and allowed himself to breath in relief.

Peter stood unmoving, seemingly stunned, for a beat then returned the gesture tightly, wrapping his arms around Tony. 

“You scared the devil out of me, kid. But you did good.” Tony said into Peter’s curls. He smiled to himself as he felt Peter grin and turn into Tony’s chest. “You did good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm going to finish this sucker but there's a real chance that it'll leak over into December. Reader poll:Should I change the name since it's not October anymore or leave it be?
> 
> Thanks again for all the kudos and support! <3


	14. Torture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They almost got to him too late.
> 
> If they had been a minute later then they would have found a corpse instead.
> 
> Peter was still alive by the time they finally traced the live stream of torture (three long, long days), thank god, but Tony was convinced that he wouldn’t have been if they had gotten to him any later. Peter always had a tendency to flirt with death but this was the closest he’d ever gotten to going all the way.

They almost got to him too late.

If they had been a minute later then they would have found a corpse instead. Peter was still alive by the time they finally traced the live stream of torture (three long, long days), thank god, but Tony was convinced that he wouldn’t have been if they had gotten to him any later. Peter always had a tendency to flirt with death but this was the closest he’d ever gotten to going all the way. 

In hindsight, they all may have gone a bit overboard in their, well let’s call it zest, in apprehending the sick freaks who had drugged Peter and taken him right out of dorm room in the dead of night. They weren’t dead, but if they ever woke up, they’d wish they were. They learned quickly that the Avengers don’t tolerate anyone hurting one of their own. That lesson had been made abundantly clear.

There was no amount of alcohol that could ever clear Tony’s mind of the images of Peter’s body working overtime to heal the deep cuts left behind a deranged scientist’s scalpel, before more where made. Or how easily his fingernails popped out their beds and the way Peter whimpered quietly with each one removed. Or the grunts of uneasy as his body quickly regrew them. 

The kid had been so brave. The picture of Peter biting down on his lip, blood dribbling down his chin, but eventually dissolving into screams as they peeled back sections of his skin would haunt Tony for the rest of his life. All the sounds and pictures were forever embedded into his brain like a bad movie.

“I can be on the next flight there.” May said through the phone that was pressed up against Tony’s ear. He hated making these kind of calls to the kid’s aunt, his last flesh and blood family, but he guessed that was what he signed up for all those years ago when he took Peter under his wing.

“Can I talk to him?”

Tony glanced through the open doorway at the seemingly sleeping Peter. 

Peter had packed on some mass with his last growth spurt a few years ago. It had been his last one, right on the cusp of adulthood. It gave him a couple of more inches in height, bypassing Tony at last. Tony would never forget how giddy the kid had been to finally be taller then him. It broadened his shoulders too, but, at that moment, laying still in a hospital bed, beaten to hell and back, all Tony could see was a small fifteen year old kid again.

He should have been asleep, and Tony was pretty surprised that he wasn’t. His captors had pumped him full of all kinds of different drugs, including something that kept him awake for those whole three days. Then Tony’s team had slipped something into his IV to help calm him down enough to try and sleep. 

Tony had to give it to him, the kid was making a valent effort to appear asleep but Tony knew him too well. The tense lines of his shoulders and the way he held his face away from where Tony stood at the door gave him away.

“He’s sleeping right now.” Tony lied into the phone. He stepped out of the doorway and deeper into in hall. He didn’t want to have this conversation within range of Peter’s enhanced ears. “But, May listen-“

“Tell him that I’ll there by tomorrow afternoon.”

“May-“

“I’m looking at flights now.”

“May!”

She finally stopped her nervous rambling and Tony sighed. He tried to steel himself for what needed to be said. He took a little comfort in the fact that she was currently cross country on vacation and not there to slap him.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come back right now.”

Tony flinched at the harsh Italian curse that was spat out at him.

“What? What are you talking about?” May snapped. “My baby was kidnapped and tortured. I’m coming back home, Tony.”

Where he stood across the hall from Peter’s room, he saw the kid twitch and Tony high tailed it even further down the hall, past a pair of doors and into empty waiting room.

“I don’t think Peter wants you to see him right now, not like this.”

“He said that?” She demanded and Tony nodded despite knowing that she couldn’t see it.

“Yeah, when we brought him in. I’m sorry.” He said and heard her suck in a pained breath on the other end of the line. 

“Tony,” May said after a moment, thickly. “How bad is it?”

Tony sighed and leaned his forehead against a window that overlooked the city. The cool glass eased his headache for just a moment.

It was hard to look at the city that laid out in front of him and try to imagine there being no friendly neighborhood Spider-Man out there in it. Peter had graduated to bigger bads then car jackers and giving directions to little old ladies.

Tony sighed and leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the window that overlooked the city. He couldn’t imagine the city without Spider-Man flipping around, saving people, in it. He shuddered. They’d gotten so close to losing him.

“Tony?” May’s voice brought him back to reality. “You’re scaring me.”

“Sorry.” His voice came out rough and he cleared his throat. “Sorry. Physically he’s doing fine. They did some damage, I won’t lie, but his healing factor is taking care of it. The doctor said that he should be all healed up in a couple days.”

Tony hesitated, trying to find the words for what he needed to say next. 

The way Peter had looked up at him from where he was strapped down to a cold, steel table, blood oozing down his chest, eyes full of tears, flashed in his mind. 

He blinked the image away. 

“Emotionally and mentally though, well, he’s not doing too hot in those areas. He’s struggling, I think. They did a number on him, May.” He admitted heavily. “And I let it happen. I was too slow.” 

“Hey,” May said in a warning tone. “Don’t talk like that. You saved him.”

“Maybe, but not quick enough.” Tony shook his head. “I-“

“Did the best you could.” May interrupted. “I know you did because you love Peter just as much as I do.” She paused. “You forget that I know you, Tony Stark and I’d bet that you didn’t anything but look for him for those three days.” 

It was true. He was bone tired from it. He hadn’t slept a second while Peter was missing. The only reason why he ate anything was because he’d basically been force fed by Pepper.

“And I know,” May continued, “that you’ll look after him until I come back too.”

“Of course.” He answered immediately. “I always do.”

“Good, glad that’s settled then.” She said, sounding satiated. “I’ll let you go then. Please tell Peter that I love him and to call me whenever he feels up to it. I’ll be back by the end of the week.”

“I will.” Tony promised. “Bye, May.”

“Bye, Tony.” 

Tony pocketed his phone and stayed by the window for a few long moments, collecting himself. Somewhere along their conversation, his left had started back shaking. While they searched for Peter, it shook so badly that Tony was now down two good coffee mugs. When they finally found him, Tony was afraid that he was going to drop Peter while carrying his limp body to the jet.

It settled back down after a few of Pepper’s deep breathing exercises and he walked back down to Peter’s room. He got there just in time to find Peter swing his legs up off the side of the bed and sit up. He swayed from side to side and Tony just barely stopped him from pulling out the IV from his arm.

“Hey,” He said softly, guiding Peter’s hand away from the line. “Hey, what’s going on?”

Peter didn’t say anything. He just shook his head back and forth and darted his gaze away when Tony ducked his head to try and catch his eye. 

“What’s wrong, Pete?” Tony tried again. “What do you need? Are you in pain?”

Peter shook his head again, then speaking so quietly to the tilted floor that Tony had to strain to hear him.

“I’m tired.” 

“Yeah, buddy, I bet.” Tony said easily, moving to call one of the doctors. “Let’s see if we can move you to your room, maybe you’ll sleep better in there.” 

“No, Tony.” Peter insisted weakly. “I’m tired.” 

Peter’s tone stopped Tony. He’d never heard the kid sound so heavy. Tony took a mental step back and gently guided Peter’s chin back up so that he could take a look at him.

He looked awful. Which, of course, was to be expected after all he’d been just been through, but there more to it than that. He looked plain weary, almost defeated. It wasn’t a good look on anyone, but especially not of Peter Parker who was basically the world’s biggest optimist. He wasn’t the kind of person that let things weigh him down for long.

Now though, he looked like one sharp word would send him over the edge. Tony knew that Peter had had a lot of his plate before all this. He was working hard on his bachelor’s degree, being Spider-Man, and forever insisting that he carry the weight of the world on the shoulders. It was a lot for a twenty five year old.

It broke Tony’s heart.

Peter’s eyes welled up with tears underneath Tony’s scrutiny. As if in slow motion, he tipped forward until his forehead met Tony’s chest. Tony didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around and he just tightened his grip even more when the first sob ripped through his body.

“Its okay, Pete.” Tony soothed in Peter’s curls. “Let it out, bud.” 

Peter did and Tony held him patiently until his tears finally died up. After a moment, Peter leaned back and Tony reluctantly let him out of his hold. His gaze reached Tony’s and there was now something hidden there behind the utter exhaustion. It looked like Peter was asking for something.

A thought tugged at the bottom of Tony’s stomach and he acted on his hunch.

“You know,” He started conversationally while running a hand through Peter’s hair. He’d let it get longer; it curled down over the top of his ears now. “You’ve been Spider-Man for a long time.”

Peter leaned forward again, resting against Tony. “Since I was fifteen.” 

Tony whistled low. “Ten years. That’s a long time.” 

Peter shrugged.

“Maybe,” Tony moved his hand and gently cupped the back of Peter’s neck. “Maybe it’s time for a little break. Take some time to rest and think; reevaluate some things.”

Peter stilled. “Like my major?”

“Sure.” Tony played along. “Like your major or other things.”

Peter moved his head just enough to look up at Tony. “And you wouldn’t mad, or disappointed if I-if I picked a new major?”

Tony started shaking his head before Peter could even finish the question. “Of course not, Pete. Ten years is a long time to do anything. Especially for a snot nosed kid.”

Peter huffed out a laugh. His shoulders relaxed like Tony had just took a physical weight off them. “I’ll have you know that I haven’t snotted once this year.”

“If you say so.” Tony teased lightly and Peter shot small grin up at him.

“Could I still go back to my room? I need to call May.” Peter sniffed and made a face. “And take a shower.”

“Sure thing, kid.” 

Tony wrapped an arm around Peter and helped him stand. They shuffled down the hallways and corridors together to Peter’s room and Tony reveled in the warm, solid, and blessedly alive weight of Peter Parker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well babes, look for this to extend into 2019. I do want to finish this because so far it's been a good writing exercise for me. But I am more focused on my WIP at the moment, so I'm just going to update this whenever I get inspiration or when I need to flex my writing muscles.
> 
> Thank y'all so much for all the encouraging comments! They really have motivated me to finish this eventually. 
> 
> I'm still taking ideas for any of the prompts so if you have any you want to see written, let me know!


	15. Showdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "What if peter was at school, and there was a school assembly and theres a shooter and so peter is simultaneosly revealed as spiderman and he gets shot?"
> 
> qatarina1747 suggested this prompt and I took a little liberty with it.

When Peter first hears the distant whirling charge of alien tech, his first reaction is annoyance. Because, really? Where do they keep getting these things? It’s been over two years since he took down Toomes but his legacy still hangs around like a bad smell.

His second reaction is anger, because again, really? It’s only been two months since the Avengers defeated Thanos and brought everyone back from the dead. Would it kill criminals to take a sabbatical or something? 

Aren’t they tired? God knows Peter’s tired. He could use a vacation. Instead, he’s stick in chemistry class trying to drudge up enough energy to care anything about it.

That’s when reaction number three cuts through Peter like a hot knife. Its horror and it slices through his belly, because this is his first day back at school and someone is stalking the halls with alien tech and they’re getting close. 

Peter races through options on how to handle this situation without outing his friendly neighborhood alter ego. He doesn’t have a lot of time to think and really only has a half-baked idea when his spider sense spikes at the back of his head.

“Everyone get down!” Peter shouts just as the door explodes open and goes flying across the room. 

Screams of shock and fear fill the air as a man dressed in all black steps into the room. In his hands is a long bulky gun. It glows purple and shoots a matching purple beam when he discharges it into the air. 

“Listen up,” The guy yells and Peter can’t place the accent. His face is covered with a mask so there’s no way to identify him. “Follow me to the gym and no one gets killed.” 

He shoots the gun up at the roof again when no one moves. 

“I ain’t playing. Get up, get moving, or get killed.” 

Their teacher cautiously steps forward, her hands raised. “Okay.” She says calmly as she starts herding the kids up and out the door. “Come on, children. It’s alright.”

The guys steps out into the hallway as everyone shuffles out. It’s a big class and there’s so much commotion that no one notices when Peter slinks into the closest in the back of the room and Spider-Man crawls out of it. 

Unfortunately, his suit is still stuffed at the bottom of his backpack from the morning swing that he’d managed to squeeze in before school. He had shoved his mask in his back pocket instead of his bag, whatever reason, probably laziness if he was being honest, but now he was grateful he’d done it. He had his web shooters already on too because he rarely took those off nowadays, thank you paranoia. Lastly, he quickly turns his tee shirt inside out. He figures the bad science pun would instantly give his identity away.

Peter felt like he was cosplaying as causal Spider-Man as he crawled down the hallway, straining his ears for any action. He hears more energy blasts down other hallways, the sounds of shuffling feet, and the occasional cries or whimpers. He loses counts of the goons pretty quick. It sounds like there’s an army of them. 

“Karen,” Peter whispers as he sneaks up on one such goon leading another class towards the gym. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure, Peter.” She admits just as quietly. “The police have been notified of the situation but it seems that they don’t have any more information then you do. It’s likely that the attackers know your identity and this is an attempt to draw you out as Spider-Man.”

Peter sighs. Yeah, he’d been afraid of that. 

He silently crawls closer to the goon and places his finger over his mouth in a shushing motion when a student glances up and spots him. 

He drops to the floor and unnamed goon number one is easily taken out.

“Go, get outside.” Peter urges the class and the teacher, after he webs the guy up. They don’t waste anytime leaving and Peter searches for more classes to liberate. He’s able to get two more out before the PA system crackles to life. Another voice that Peter doesn’t know booms through the speakers. 

“Calling Spider-Man! Attention Spider-Man.” The voice taunts in some sick version of a morning announcement. “You’re needed at the gym, ASAP. And if you’re not here in,” The voice hums. “Five minutes then a kid bites it.” 

Peter has a sinking feeling that the guy, whoever he is, isn’t bluffing, but he checks with Karen anyways. 

“Social media postings confirm that Midtown students and teachers are being held in the gym.” The AI pauses and Peter’s stomach sinks even more. “Peter, there are a lot of bad guys in there and the police are unable to enter the school right now. They are still working on a way in that guarantees the lowest amount of causalities.”

“What are you saying, Karen?” Peter asks, already on his way to the gym.

“I think you should call for backup. I already activated the ‘No one puts Baby in the Corner’ protocol.”

Panic rushes through Peter so forcefully that it steals his breath. He has to stop for a moment to lean against the wall and get his bearings. He doesn’t know why Tony named the emergency signal protocol that. It made Peter laugh when Tony first told him but he’s the furthest thing from laughter right now.

“Peter, you need to breath.” Karen reminds him gently but Peter is already shaking his head at her.

“Tony can’t come here.” He pants, out of breath for some reason suddenly. It’s true though. Tony can barely get down to the lab by himself, he’s certainly in no condition to show up to a school shoot out. The final showdown with Thanos had really messed him up and he was still recovering. 

“I’ve got this Karen.” Peter tells her when the halls stop spinning and he’s able to walk again. “Don’t call Tony.” 

He makes it to the gym doors a moment later and silently slips through the door and onto the ceiling. He sticks behind the basketball hoop and stakes out the situation. 

All the kids and teachers are gathered on the bleachers. There’s about twenty guys, all dressed head to toe in black and masks, and each with an alien gun, of course, because these kinds of things can’t ever go easily for Peter. 

The only mask less goon stands in the middle of the floor and Peter instantly knows that he’s not a goon. He’s the leader. 

Peter zooms in the lenses, making sure that he’s got a good clear picture to send to the police later. The man looks like he’s in his thirties. His sandy blond hair is graying at the temples and tattoos marks the side of his neck. His arms are covered by glowing purple gauntlets.

It must be nearing the five minute mark because at the leader’s signal, one of the goons snatches a girl up and drags her to him. Peter quickly recognizes her as Cindy Moon, a soft more. She puts up a good fight while still being manhandled forward.

The leader takes a long look at her then shakes his head. “Well, kids.” He calls out, his voice carrying around the room. “Looks like your good friend Spider-Man isn’t the hero he’s cracked up to be. He’s going to let this girl die.” 

A few of Cindy’s friends start crying but Cindy herself stands tall, staring up defiantly at the man. Without warning she spits right in his face. A flicker of amusement crosses his face before he addresses the goon that brought her over.

“She’s brave.” He says, like he’s impressed. “Make her death quick, shoot her in the head. ”

All the hostages cry out and Peter figures that a good time as any to jump in. He yanks the gun out of the goon’s hands with a web and swings in, kicking the guy across the room and into the wall, where he slumps down, unconscious. 

“Aw man,” Peter says, planting his hands on his hips and looking around. “Was the prep rally today? I can’t believe I almost missed it!” The cheers for him are almost deafening and Peter gives them a small wave. “Don’t worry, guys. I’ll have you out by lunch.”

The other goons come rushing towards him at once and Peter braces himself but they all skid to a stop with a raise of the leader’s hand. 

“Go guard the hostages.” The man orders. He cracks his knuckles and his neck like Peter is supposed to be intimated by that or something. “This one is mine.” 

The goons scatter and the leader doesn’t waste any time swinging at him. Peter’s able to dodge his hits pretty easily but when he tries to web up the gauntlets, they melt almost instantly. 

Peter blinks. “Well, that’s no good.”

The man smirks and charges at him again. He’s fast and definitely knows how to use those gauntlets. Peter scrambles, trying to lead the fight away from the hostages but it’s hard when the guy keeps insisting on firing off energy shots at Peter instead of sticking to hand to hand combat. 

He’s able to keep the upper hand until he webs up to the rafters. His spider sense hums just before an energy blast cuts through his web. Then another rakes across his shoulder before he can send off another web. It burns and he can’t help but cry out. It’s easily cuts through his shirt and Karen throws up an alert that he know has a second degree burn. 

Cool.

He hits the gym floor hard enough to rattle his bones. It steals the air out of lungs but his scene buzzes again and he somehow recovers enough to flip over before the leader can stomp a boot into his face. He’s not quite fast enough though to avoid the boot that plants itself on his back. The cool metal of the alien gun rests against the back of his neck.

Peter’s doing calculations on how to dislodge the guy without getting his head blown clean off when the guy leans down, close to his ear.

“I hate to do this kid, I really do. It’s nothing personal, just a job.” The guys says but doesn’t really sound like he means it in Peter’s opinion. 

“What are you being paid? Whatever it is, I can do better. I got ten dollars and a pack of gum, take it or leave it.” Peter bargains, only half joking.

The guy huffs a laugh but shifts the gun closer to the base of his neck in warning. “That won’t cut it, kid, sorry. You’ve made some very important people very angry.” 

“Yeah,” Peter grunts, trying not to squirm under the guy’s increased weight. “I have a bad habit of doing that. It’s a personality flaw.”

“If it makes you feel any better.” The guy continues and shifts again. Peter’s spider sense picks up again. “Toomes didn’t give up your identity easily. It took a lot of convincing. He tried to not break, I’ll give him that. Guy’s got a code of ethics for sure, but he’s a family man above everything. Once my boss threatened his little girl, well,” the guy chuckles darkly and Peter goes cold. “He sang like a little birdie.” 

His spider sense starts screaming even before the guy’s fingers slip underneath Peter’s mask, then absolutely howls as he yanks it off of Peter’s head. 

The whole room gets deathly quietly in an instant and Peter clenches his eyes shut. He doesn’t want to see their reactions. He doesn’t want to see his peers’ shocked faces now that they knew who ‘Penis Parker’ really was. He doesn’t want to see it dawn on his teacher’s face the real reason why Peter’s such a flake. 

Peter didn’t want them to know but now they know. They know who he really is. They know what he’s been through. 

The ferry, the spaceship, Titan, Spider-Man’s disappearance even though Iron Man came home; it all runs through Peter’s head. Now everyone knows that was all him.

The guy starts speaking again but Peter can barely hear him over the ringing in his own ears.

“Goodbye, Peter Parker.”

Peter wishes he could have tell May that he loves her. He wishes that he could tell Tony how much he loves him too. How much they both mean to him. He wishes that he could have done more, as Peter Parker and as Spider-Man.

He wishes the guy would just pull the trigger already. 

His spider sense blares again and he braces himself. 

But, instead of an energy blast tearing his head off, the gym doors blast open. Peter opens his eyes and in the midst of the explosion, like one of their bad PSA’s, stands Captain America. He sees Falcon and Black Widow just behind him with a whole force of cops and Peter could cry.

The sight must embolden the students and teachers too, because next thing Peter knows, there’s a hail storm of books, calculators, and pencil cases being hurled at the goons. 

“Leave Spider-Man alone!” He hears a kid shout then soon the whole student body joins in sticking up for him.

“Yeah! Let him go!”

“You mess with Spider-Man, you mess with Midtown!” 

Peter’s pretty sure that his heart grows three times bigger but doesn’t have time to bask in this unexpected affection. Cap’s shield knocks the leader off of him and Peter doesn’t waste any time getting to his feet and getting back to work.

Between the four of them and the couple of students with super good aim, like scary good aim, Clint would have been proud, the goons and their leader are taken down fairly quickly and shuffled out in handcuffs. 

Peter watches, trying to catch his breath, shoulder burning and body aching, when he realizes that it’s gotten quiet again. He straightens up to find every eye on him. The students and teachers have resorted back to stunned silence now that the action is over and the Avengers cautiously step towards him like he’s going to collapse at any second. 

He must look as bad as he feels. And if that’s the case then he looks pretty freaken bad but he feels horrible. His heart has already reverted back to its normal size. He’s hurting but the worst is the panic that’s rapidly encroaching on him again. It weighs down on him and it hurts to breath.

Cap cautiously steps towards him and Peter finds himself taking matching steps backwards.

“Pete,” Cap says, low and easy, like he’s talking to a spooked animal. “It’s okay. Let’s go get you checked out.” 

Peter glances around quickly and finds that he’s the center of everyone’s attention now. Even the cops are watching what’s happening. His back hits the gym doors and he hisses as it presses up against his hurt shoulder.

He gestures weakly at the abandoned guns littering the floor.

“Do something with those, would ya Cap?” He says, breathless, then he turns and runs.

Peter just does make it to a supply closet before he collapses in the corner and has the worst panic attack that he’s ever had in his life. He thinks that he may have actually blacked out a little because one moment he’s hyperventilating and gagging and then next he’s tired, so tired, and shaking, but he can breathe at least. He’s so exhausted that he can’t even hold his head up. He lets it fall against the wall and let’s himself float away. 

They eventually find him. 

Peter isn’t actually sure who it is though. Sam? Maybe Principal Morita? Peter’s in such a deep fog that even the pain in his shoulder is now a distant dull thump. 

Whoever finds him drapes a blanket over his shoulders and helps him to his feet. They keep talking to him even though Peter doesn’t answer, doesn’t really even understand what they’re saying. He lets them lead him through the hallways, not really sure of where he’s at until they stop at the nurse’s office. And really the only reason why he knows that is because of the big stickers stuck to the wood saying as much.

His mystery escort opens the door and gently pushes him inside the room. “We found him, Mr. Stark.” They say. “Here he is.” 

“Thanks.” Peter hears the familiar voice say through the fog. 

“Peter?” It asks next and Peter blinks as hard as can to clear his blurry vision. 

His eyes clear long enough to see Tony across the room, sitting on a cot. Pain pricks through the numbness that’s overtaken his body for just long enough for him to remember that he told Karen not to call him. 

Tony is sitting because he has a bum leg now and can’t stand for very long anymore. He can’t use his left arm right now either. It’s strapped to his chest for another two months because it was burnt to a crisp like a chicken nugget. 

Tony Stark shouldn’t be here, but he’s staring at Peter like he’s the one that went ten rounds with Thanos. Peter can practically feel the waves of worry and anxiety that’s rolling off of him and crashing in his direction.

“Peter?” Tony questions again. “Are you okay, kid? Are you hurt?”

Peter knows that he should answer. Tony is expected a one liner about never being better. He even goes as far as opening his mouth to do just that but the numbness covers him back up and his mouth feels like it’s filled with cotton.

He knows that he should walk over to Tony. He wants too, but he can’t do that either. Its like roots have wrapped around his ankles and is trapping him in that spot. 

He can’t move.

He can’t think.

He feel unnaturally heavy. It’s like he’s in one of those dreams where your limbs weigh fifty pounds each and it’s a struggle to drag them around. Like he’s swaddled in a weighted blanket.

He doesn’t even feel real.

There’s only one clear though that runs through his head like a mantra.

_they know they know they know they know_

His teachers, his classmates, the police, they all saw his face. They all know that he’s Spider-Man.

Everyone is different now. The safety net that he worked so hard to create is now gone. Just that easily.

Peter distantly hears Tony call his name a third time but doesn’t really come back to himself until he sees Tony try and stand. The other man grimaces and pain flashes across his face before he even gets his cane properly placed. The sight shakes Peter back to enough awareness to force his legs to take him across the room.

Peter is exhausted again by the time he stands in front of Tony. His head droops, it’s just too heavy to hold up anymore, and his gaze settles somewhere between the floor and Tony’s lap.

“Pete?” Tony’s worry is nearly a real, palpable thing at this point and Peter can almost actually feel it in the air around them. “You’re scaring me, bud.”

“Sorry.” Peter whispers to Tony’s jeans and allows it when the other man gently guides his jaw, tilting it up.

Peter doesn’t know what exactly Tony sees but the next thing he knows, he’s being pulled forward. He’s led to the juncture of Tony’s neck and shoulder then Tony cups the back of his hair. He stinks his fingers into Peter’s curls and holds him close.

Peter wants to reciprocate. He wants to wrap his arms around his mentor and hug the life out of him, but he’s still too heavy. It feels like lead has seeped into his bones and he just can’t lift them. Tony starts rocking them slowly back and forth and that’s when Peter realizes that he’s freaking Tony out.

It’s been a long two months, he thinks randomly. His first thought after is that he went back to school too soon; that he wasn’t ready. Then immediate thought after is that if he hadn’t then lot of people would have died today.

That thought comes with the all too familiar feeling of anxiety that Peter knew too well. However, it broke through Peter’s fog enough for him to move his mouth.

“They know.” He whispers into Tony’s skin.

Tony stills and pulls back enough to look at Peter.

“What do they know, bud?”

It’s then that Peter notices the wet spot on Tony’s collar. He traces it absently then touches his own face, surprised that it’s wet too. He hadn’t even realized that he’d been crying.

“They know.” Peter says again and watches as his message clicks in Tony’s brain.

“Oh,” He breaths then pulls Peter back to him. 

“Its okay, Pete. I’ll fix it. I promise.” Tony says into his hair and Peter believes him. Tony’s vow lifts the weight from his bones. 

He shifts forward suddenly and tucks himself as close to Tony as physically possible without hurting him and Tony, in turn, tries his best to return the embrace one handed. He starts rocking them again and Peter closes his eyes with the motion.

They’re silent for a moment before Peter admits in a small voice:

“I was so scared, Tony.” 

He hears Tony suck in a breath. 

“I know.” Tony adjusts so that he’s somehow able to hold Peter even closer. “I was too.” Peter feels his chest hitch underneath his ear. “God, I thought I had lost you again.”

“I’m here.” 

Tony takes a few steadying breathes. “You’re hurt.” He points out. 

Peter doesn’t know how he knows that because he sure forgot about it, but as if on cue, the pain in his shoulder flares up and he flinches. 

“A little.” Peter admits.

Tony just hums and continues to rock them. Peter’s starting to feel a lot more like seven then seventeen but the motion is soothing and he feels himself relaxing bit by bit. He’s starting to drift when the door opens again.

“Where is he? Is he alright?”

On instinct, Peter lets out go Tony, turns, and then falls right into May’s open arms. 

It’s a blurry mess after that. 

May is crying and that makes Peter start crying all over again. She holds him for a long time until she accidentally shifts, brushing against his bad shoulder and Peter can’t stop the pained sound that he makes. She’s about to fall to pieces again when Tony speaks up. 

“Alright, kids.” He says, trying to hide a wince as he stands. “I think it’s time go home.”

“Yes!” May exclaims in a way that shakes a ghost of a laugh out of Peter. She smiles down at him and tugs him close to her side then they follow a limping Tony home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So technically this is the prompt 31 but it was supposed to be completed in October and here I am posting this in December so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯. The part with Peter and Tony came to me in a dream and I found that it paired will with the prompt I was given. Then I just didn't want to wait to post it. 
> 
> As always, thank y'all for all the support. I appreciate every kudo and comment! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts are welcome and hope y'all enjoy :) 
> 
> Find me on [ tumblr ](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/awwcoffee92)


End file.
